SMITH STATE PRISON
Facility Information
- Original Design Capacity
- 500 (at 216% capacity)
- Bed Capacity
- 1,526 beds
- Current Population
- 1,082
- Active Lifers
- 289 (26.7% of population) · Sep 2026 GDC report
- Life Without Parole
- 196 (18.1%)
What the courts held in Brown v. Plata, and how Georgia compares →
- Address
- 9676 Hwy 301 North, Glennville, GA 30427
- Phone
- (912) 654-5000
- Fax
- (912) 654-5305
- Mailing Address
- P.O. Box 726, Glennville, GA 30427
- County
- Tattnall County
- Opened
- 1993
- Operator
- GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
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Leadership & Accountability (as of 2026 records)
Officials currently holding positional authority at this facility, with deaths attributed to GPS-tracked records during their leadership tenure. Inclusion reflects role-based accountability, not legal findings of personal culpability. Death counts shown as facility / career.
| Role | Name | Since | Deaths this facility / career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warden (facility lead) | Mims, Charles Michael | 2025-07-16 | 4 / 46 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Warren, Willesha | 2022-01-01 | 26 / 26 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Carver, Keenan | 2024-01-01 | 10 / 10 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Kennedy, Ashley L | 2024-01-01 | 10 / 10 |
| Deputy Warden of Security (facility deputy) | Edwards, Brianna | 2026-07-01 | — / — |
About
Last updated October 4, 2026.(DS)
Smith State Prison: A Contraband Economy, a Warden Indicted, and 38 Deaths in Six Years
Smith State Prison sits outside Glennville in Tattnall County, a close-security men's facility that opened in 1993 with a design capacity of 500 and now carries a rated capacity of 1,526. It was built for some of Georgia's highest-custody prisoners, and it operates the way that mission implies: a combination of cellblocks and dormitories, extensive segregation and special-management housing, and a residential substance-abuse and transitional program run through a nearby center. Its current warden is Charles Michael Mims, who has held the post since July 2025. What follows is the record GPS has assembled on the facility — a mortality count that runs to 38 deaths since January 2020, a contraband economy that prosecutors say reached the warden's office, a 2024 killing in the prison kitchen that triggered a system-wide lockdown, and a staffing collapse that former officers have described in their own words.
Thirty-Eight Deaths, Eighteen of Them Homicides
GPS's mortality registry records 38 deaths at Smith State Prison since January 1, 2020 — a floor, not a ceiling, since GDC reports deaths roughly two months late. The distribution is the story: 18 homicides, 7 suicides, 6 deaths still coded Unknown/Pending, 3 natural or medical, 2 overdoses, and 2 classified as medical neglect. That is a homicide rate that would be extraordinary at any facility and is consistent with the violence pattern the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has documented across Georgia's close-security prisons.
The most recent entries are also the youngest. Dreeonnie Lee Hart died May 14, 2026, at Smith State Prison at age 25; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Dwayne Eric Albritton died March 12, 2026, at Smith State Prison at 65, with the registry listing Medical Neglect. Nicholas Shafer died February 8, 2026, at Smith State Prison at 24, a homicide. John Jacobs died October 25, 2025, at 77, of natural or medical causes.
The 2024 deaths include Calvin Bernard Craft, who died December 14, 2024, at 34, cause Unknown/Pending; Orlando Jordan, who died September 13, 2024, at 36, also Unknown/Pending; and Richard Jermine Williams, who died September 7, 2024, at 43, of an overdose. Jaydrekus Cartez Hart died June 16, 2024, at 34, by suicide — the same date and the same man at the center of the kitchen killing described below. Gineli Antoine Gray died February 9, 2024, at 31, Unknown/Pending, and Donquerius Lamonte Mahone died February 4, 2024, at 37, a homicide.
In 2023 the registry records James Adams, who died November 8 at 72, a homicide; Lawrence Leon Woods, who died October 18 at 34, Medical Neglect; Walter Russell Wright, who died September 26 at 64, natural or medical; Quenton George Mayo, who died August 14 at 30, a homicide; Justin Tyler Smith, who died July 28 at 37, a homicide; Austin Jacob Witte, who died July 17 at 33, Unknown/Pending; Shaquan Jahrel Boykins, who died May 11 at 31, a homicide; Calvin Darrell Denson, who died April 26 at 31, a homicide; Anthony Joseph Zino, who died April 5 at 71, a homicide; Boris Ignacio Mejia, who died March 18 at 29, by suicide; and Randy Wynn, who died March 1 at 54, a homicide.
In 2022, Juan Miguel Orduna died October 25 at 39, by suicide; Nathan Michael Mahan died October 23 at 37, a homicide; Manuel Villagomez died September 16 at 24, by suicide; and Jerome Tisdol died May 28 at 67, cause Unknown/Pending. The full registry list, including the 2020 and 2021 deaths, is maintained at GPS's facility death page.
Several of these deaths carry documented circumstances beyond the cause code. Anthony Joseph Zino, 71, died April 5, 2023, of asphyxia due to neck compression; the local coroner noted his body was badly decomposed and that he had likely been dead for days before being discovered — a detail the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported as evidence of failed monitoring. Desmond Hill, 35, died April 9, 2021, of strangulation; a family member told the AJC that Hill had called his mother the day before his death to say his cellmate had threatened to kill him. Hiwatha Abdulcah Hakeem Jr., 26, died April 12, 2021, of multiple stab wounds, and a lawsuit alleges the four prisoners who attacked him had a history of violence and that officials failed to provide timely and adequate medical care afterward. Justin Nathaniel Wilkerson, 25, died January 5, 2021, of asphyxia due to neck compression; his mother testified before a Georgia Legislature hearing about his mental health diagnoses and prior attacks in prison.
The Kitchen Killing and the Gun That Sat Inside for a Year
The single event that most clearly exposed Smith State Prison's internal failures came on June 16, 2024, when inmate Jaydrekus Hart shot and killed 24-year-old Aramark food service employee Aureon Shavea Grace in the prison kitchen at roughly 4:30 a.m., then turned the gun on himself. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The AJC reported that the shooting caused GDC to place all of its prisons on lockdown and cancel visitations, with roads into the facility closed and officers in tactical gear at the entrance. Governor Brian Kemp announced a system-wide assessment of the corrections system in the aftermath, bringing in consultants from Guidehouse Inc. for a twelve-month review.
What emerged in the years since is worse than the shooting itself. A GDC CID Special Agent, Justin Fountain, testified in a Tattnall County Superior Court hearing that the gun had been inside Smith State Prison for a year before the killing. Fountain testified that a woman known to CID for about two years facilitated the gun with at least three others, that she was involved with an inmate, and that CID traced her involvement through contraband phones seized from that inmate between 2020 and 2024. He testified that the package containing the gun was thrown over the fence between June 30 and July 10, 2023, and that it also contained tobacco, clothing, and suspected drugs. The coordinating inmate, Fountain said, sent photos of the gun on a contraband phone as early as January 1, 2024, and the weapon was smuggled to organize an escape. Fountain testified that GDC, CID, and police knew about the gun's existence on June 13, 2024 — three days before the shooting. The enterprise, he said, was still an open investigation at the time of the shooting.
Deshonda Hagins, Grace's mother, filed a wrongful-death suit against the Georgia Department of Corrections in Fulton County State Court demanding a jury trial. The complaint alleges that warnings about the gun came from inmates and were provided directly to multiple GDC officials, including during official investigations, and that no lockdown, extensive search, or protective measures were taken afterward. Hagins also alleges that Hart was not authorized to be in the kitchen, that he was favored by GDC staff, and that he was permitted to violate rules with impunity. Attorney Brent Savage stated there were no guards in the area when Grace was shot to death. GDC accused Grace of helping Hart get the gun inside; her family denies it, asserting the gun was present before she started working there in January 2024. Hagins learned of her daughter's death from inmates posting on contraband phones.
The Warden, the Saint Laurent Squad, and a RICO Indictment
The contraband economy at Smith State Prison was not a failure of supervision at the perimeter. Prosecutors allege it ran through the warden's office. Brian Adams, the facility's warden until February 2023, was arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on charges including bribery, criminal attempt under Georgia's RICO Act, false statements and writings, and concealment of facts; he bonded out of the Tattnall County Jail on February 9, 2023. Jacob Beasley replaced him in February 2023.
On May 12, 2026, a Tattnall County grand jury returned a True Bill of Indictment against Adams on six felony counts: Violation of RICO, Making False Statements, two counts of Tampering with Evidence, and two counts of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer. The Georgia Attorney General's Office presented the case before a special call-back grand jury after 39 months. The Georgia Court of Appeals later declined to hear an appeal from Adams and former officer Ireon Moore, citing lack of jurisdiction because of an incorrect appellate procedure after a new direct-appeal statute took effect.
The underlying allegations, as reported by The Georgia Virtue and the AJC, describe a scheme known as the Saint Laurent Squad, run by inmate Nathan Weekes. The civil suit alleges Adams and Moore facilitated a criminal conspiracy to kill a non-complicit correctional officer by allowing illegal use of mobile phones, and that Moore was paid to participate with financial arrangements carried out by text message. Agents alleged Adams provided false statements in an April 13, 2022 interview when he said he had not been solicited or bribed by a GDC inmate in the past ten years. The AJC reported that Adams allegedly received U.S. currency through a pattern of racketeering activity associated with the enterprise, and that he remained warden even after GDC learned of at least two murders alleged to have been orchestrated from behind Smith's walls, some eighteen months before his eventual termination. The AJC also reported that GDC does not research the credit or financial histories of its applicants, unlike the federal Bureau of Prisons — a gap the paper tied to the hiring of financially vulnerable employees susceptible to corruption.
The reach of the contraband operation extended well beyond the fence. In 2021, 88-year-old Bobby Kicklighter was shot to death in his bed in Glennville in what investigators determined was a case of mistaken identity: Weekes allegedly ordered a hit on a correctional officer who had lived next door to Kicklighter, and the assailants went to the wrong house. Weekes and his associates have been charged with three murders related to the contraband operation. Separately, gang member Ricardo Silva was sentenced to 35 years for running a meth trafficking operation from Smith State Prison's segregation unit, coordinating deliveries from a source in Mexico even while confined 23 hours a day; agents seized more than 100 pounds of liquid and crystal meth. And in a 2023 shakedown series, seven searches inside Smith State Prison yielded 1,509 weapons, 694 cell phones, 854 phone chargers, 7.55 kilos of marijuana, and 12.53 kilos of tobacco.
Staffing Collapse and the Officers Who Left
The AJC reported in January 2025 that two-thirds of correctional officer positions at Smith State Prison were unfilled, leaving only 53 officers at a facility designed for 160. The paper described Smith as one of the most understaffed, violent, and dysfunctional facilities in the state system. A former corrections officer told the AJC that the prison's back gate, used to bring in supplies, lacks a metal detector — potentially allowing weapons and other contraband to enter undetected.
The most detailed account of what that staffing level means in practice came from Andrew Phillips, a former Smith officer whose experience was documented by The Marshall Project. Phillips was the sole officer assigned to an area housing 600 men, with no functioning fire extinguishers, when inmates set mattresses on fire. He faced inmates throwing feces and urine at him, and after eleven consecutive days of work was called to escort a stabbing victim to the hospital. The Marshall Project reported that conditions were so severe Phillips and his colleagues had no energy to care for the people in their custody, and that the environment was described as "too brutal, too disgusting." Phillips resigned from Smith State Prison but was convinced to stay in a different position for a few more months before leaving permanently in February 2023.
The Marshall Project's reporting situates that experience in a system-wide pattern: overworked and sleep-deprived staff are more likely to use excessive force; incarcerated people endured long waits for medical appointments, went weeks without recreation, and struggled to obtain basic hygiene supplies; and Georgia prison staff were so understretched that they failed to notice a dead and decomposing body for five days. The AJC reported in December 2023 that due to chronic understaffing, prisoners can be dead in their cells for hours or days before anyone notices, and that guards working alone have watched fatal attacks without immediately intervening. Georgia's overtime spending for prison workers grew to more than $4 million from 2019 to 2022 — more than eleven times the pre-pandemic level — as corrections staff decreased by about one-third.
GPS's own reporting has documented the system-wide dimensions of this collapse. Officer vacancies across Georgia's prisons have run between 49.3% and 60% for multiple years against a national standard of no more than 10%, and Georgia ranks last of fifty states for correctional-officer pay. The October 2024 DOJ findings letter concluded that "the leadership of the Georgia Department of Corrections has lost control of its facilities" and faulted GDC for placing "too much blame on gangs and insufficient emphasis on understaffing." Tyler Ryals, a former GDC sergeant forced out in 2024 after whistleblowing, told GPS he had personally been the only security person on the entire Telfair compound of roughly 1,250 maximum-security inmates — an account GPS published in its reporting on how Georgia conceals its staffing crisis.
Violence, Gang Control, and the April 2026 Lockdown
Smith State Prison's homicide record is not evenly distributed across its history. The AJC reported that between 2020 and the end of 2022, at least 90 people were slain in Georgia's prisons — three times the number from the previous three-year period — and that 2023 set a record with 37 prison homicides statewide, including the killing of a correctional officer at Smith State Prison. Correctional Officer Robert Danford Clark, 42, died October 1, 2023, from multiple stab wounds after being attacked by an inmate; his death certificate records show he suffered multiple stab wounds. Statewide, department records show 40 homicides and 38 suicides in Georgia state prisons in fiscal year 2023, and at least 43 state prisoners killed themselves in 2022.
The contraband economy and the violence are not separable phenomena. The AJC reported that drug trafficking rings are commonplace in Georgia prisons, often with the help of guards, and that corrupt staff actively enable illegal drug, contraband, and extortion rings. GDC arrested 69 staff members, 204 inmates, and 554 civilians over contraband during a year-long stretch ending in June 2024, and tallied over 430 reports of drones. Since 2018, 425 GDC employees have been arrested for crimes on the job; those prosecuted rarely faced prison time, and some were never prosecuted at all. Senator Kim Jackson, at a Georgia Senate Department of Corrections Facilities Study Committee hearing, alleged that GDC officials failed to adequately flag staffing levels as a major contributing factor to prison violence and contraband problems.
On April 1, 2026, an altercation at Smith State Prison — which officials believe was gang-related — sent two inmates to local hospitals by airlift. The altercation was contained to one dorm, but GDC placed all of its facilities on lockdown out of an abundance of caution until further notice. WTOC reported the system-wide lockdown the same day. GPS records show that in the twelve months through mid-2026, the facility generated multiple assault-by-inmate signals at critical severity, with concentrations in April and June 2026, and multiple death-in-custody reports at critical severity across the same period. GPS has additionally received recurring reports of gang discussions about coordinated retaliation against staff at the facility.
A Facility That Cannot Feed or Protect the People Inside It
The kitchen where Aureon Grace was killed is also the facility's most consistently failing inspection surface. The Georgia Department of Public Health scored Smith State Prison's food service at 72 — a Grade C — on February 16, 2026, citing nine violations including improper cold holding temperatures and missing or inaccurate thermometers. The facility scored 83 (Grade B) on August 12, 2026, with four violations; 85 (Grade B) on June 27, 2025, with six; 82 (Grade B) on January 19, 2024, with six; and 84 (Grade B) on June 29, 2023, with six. The recurring citations include contamination prevention during food preparation and storage, nonfood-contact surface cleanliness, and handwashing facilities.
GPS has documented a systemic pattern of food-service sanitation failure across GDC kitchens that DPH inspection scores systematically fail to capture — broken tray-sanitizing dishwashers, sustained roach and rodent infestation in kitchen and serving areas, and meals served on visibly contaminated trays. The pattern is hidden from the scores because inspections are scheduled walkthroughs that do not assess equipment under load. GPS's reporting on Georgia prison food has documented that the state spends approximately $1.69 per person per day on food, with $1.60 per day proposed for FY27 — under 60 cents per meal — against an FDA Thrifty Food Plan estimate of roughly $10 per day for an adult man's nutritionally adequate diet. The Marshall Project independently corroborated the pattern in May 2026, reporting rats in kitchens, insects in food, moldy trays, and visible malnutrition across Georgia facilities.
Litigation and Settlements
Beyond the Hagins wrongful-death suit and the Adams indictment, Smith State Prison has generated a documented stream of liability payouts recorded in the Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger. The largest is $1,450,000 tied to the 2020 death of Christopher Heath, linked to a documented death record. The state paid $450,000 in a 2023 matter involving Julia Roberts, $75,000 in a 2014 matter involving Ricardo Tavera Jaramillo, $15,000 in a 2018 matter involving Rufus Newberry, and $3,472 in a 2022 matter involving Micki Antonio Brown.
The Southern Center for Human Rights filed suit against the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2021 over poor prison conditions, as reported by The Marshall Project. A separate civil suit filed in Tattnall County State Court in May 2026 seeks damages from Brian Adams and Ireon Moore, alleging they allowed contraband including cell phones, narcotics, and weapons and facilitated a criminal conspiracy to kill a non-complicit correctional officer. The family of Bobby Kicklighter filed a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging that Adams and Moore facilitated a criminal enterprise that led to Kicklighter's murder in a botched murder-for-hire scheme in 2021.
The facility's history of organized protest reaches back further. On December 9, 2010, inmates at at least six Georgia prisons refused to leave their cells to report to work and other activities, launching a coordinated strike that lasted six days and was described as one of the largest prison protests in U.S. history. Strikers alleged overcrowded, substandard conditions with little heat in winter and oppressive heat in summer, that cell phones were widely available for purchase from correctional officers, that the parole board capriciously denied parole, that the DOC forced prisoners to work for free in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment, that medical care was denied and overcharged, and that officers subjected prisoners to cruel and unusual punishment for minor infractions. Staff locked down four facilities, attempted to transfer out leading organizers, cut off hot water, and revoked cell phone privileges. An inmate at Smith State Prison stated that prisoners ended the protest to allow administrators time to address their concerns and to pursue a prison conditions lawsuit.
Sources
This analysis draws on reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Public Broadcasting, WTOC, The Marshall Project, The Georgia Virtue, and In These Times; Georgia Department of Public Health food-service inspection records; the Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger obtained through open records; Tattnall County Superior Court and State Court filings and grand jury records; Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrest records; and GPS's own mortality registry, personnel records, and investigative reporting, including its coverage of Georgia's concealed staffing crisis.
Mortality Statistics
40 deaths documented at this facility from 2020 to present.
Deaths by Year
- 2026: 5
- 2025: 1
- 2024: 6
- 2023: 11
- 2022: 5
- 2021: 7
- 2020: 5
County Public Health Department
Food service and sanitation at SMITH STATE PRISON fall under the jurisdiction of the Tattnall County Environmental Health Department. Incarcerated people cannot choose where they eat — public health inspectors carry an elevated responsibility to hold this kitchen to the same standards applied to any restaurant.
Contact
- Title
- EH Specialist
- Name
- Lance Dasher
- Address
-
P.O. Box 353
Glennville, GA 30427 - Phone
- (855) 473-4374
- Lance.Dasher@dph.ga.gov
- Website
- Visit department website →
Why this matters
GPS has documented black mold on chow-hall ceilings, cold and contaminated trays, spoiled milk, and pest contamination at Georgia prisons. The Department of Justice's 2024 report confirmed deaths from dehydration and untreated diabetes tied to food and water deprivation. Advance-notice inspections let facilities stage temporary fixes that disappear once inspectors leave.
Unannounced inspections by the county health department are one of the few outside checks on kitchen conditions behind the fence.
How you can help
Write to the county inspector and request an unannounced inspection of the kitchen and food service operation at this facility. A short, respectful letter citing Georgia food-safety regulations is more powerful than you think — inspectors respond to public concern.
Sample Letter
This is the letter Georgia Prisoners' Speak mailed to all county environmental health inspectors responsible for GDC facilities. Feel free to adapt it.
October 4, 2026
RE: Request for Unannounced Public Health Inspection of Food Service Operations at SMITH STATE PRISON
Dear Lance Dasher,
I am writing to respectfully request that your office conduct a thorough, unannounced inspection of food service and sanitation practices at SMITH STATE PRISON, located in Tattnall County.
Documented concerns
Georgia Prisoners' Speak, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit investigative newsroom, has published extensive investigative reporting on food safety and nutrition failures across Georgia's prison system, including:
- Dangerous sanitation conditions — black mold on chow hall ceilings and air vents, contaminated food trays, and spoiled milk served to inmates.
- Severe nutritional deficiency — roughly 60 cents per meal; inmates receive only 40% of required protein and less than one serving of vegetables per day.
- Preventable deaths — the U.S. Department of Justice's 2024 report confirmed deaths from dehydration, renal failure, and untreated diabetes following food and water deprivation.
- Staged compliance — advance-notice inspections allow facilities to stage temporary improvements, then revert once inspectors leave.
Firsthand testimony
In Surviving on Scraps: Ten Years of Prison Food in Georgia, a person who has spent more than ten years in GDC custody describes no functional dishwashing sanitation, chronic mold on food trays, and roaches found on the undersides of trays at intake facilities. Full account: gps.press/surviving-on-scraps-ten-years-of-prison-food-in-georgia.
Specific requests
- Conduct an unannounced inspection of the kitchen and food service operations at this facility, with particular attention to dishwashing equipment, tray sanitation procedures, and food storage conditions.
- Evaluate compliance with applicable Georgia food safety regulations, including O.C.G.A. § 26-2-370 and the Georgia Food Service Rules and Regulations (Chapter 511-6-1).
- Verify permit status and confirm whether the facility is subject to the same inspection schedule as other institutional food service establishments in the county.
- Make inspection results available to the public, as permitted under Georgia's Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70).
Incarcerated individuals cannot advocate for their own health and safety in the way a restaurant patron can — they cannot choose to eat elsewhere. This places an elevated responsibility on public health officials to ensure these facilities meet the same sanitation standards applied to any food service establishment.
Thank you for your attention to this important public health matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Food Safety Inspections
Georgia Department of Public Health
What the score doesn't measure. DPH grades kitchen compliance on inspection day — food storage, temperatures, pest control. It does not grade whether today's trays are clean. GPS reporting has found broken dishwashers at most Georgia state prisons we've documented; trays go out wet, stacked, and visibly moldy — including at facilities with recent scores near 100.
Who inspects. Most Georgia state prisons sit in rural counties — often with fewer than 20,000 people, several with fewer than 10,000. The environmental health inspector lives in that community and often knows the kitchen staff personally. Rural inspection regimes don't have the structural independence you'd expect in a city-sized health department. Read the scores accordingly.
Read the investigation: “Dunked, Stacked and Served: Why Georgia Prison Trays Are Making People Sick”
Recent inspections
| Date | Score | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2026 | 83 | Routine | |
| Feb 16, 2026 | 72 | Routine | |
| Jun 27, 2025 | 85 | Routine | |
| Jan 19, 2024 | 82 | Routine | |
| Jun 29, 2023 | 84 | Routine |
August 12, 2026 — Score 83
Routine · Inspector: Lance Dasher
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A |
proper cold holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; cold holding (p) Corrected | 9 | Observed milk in carton at 44 F, unit has been serviced and is cooling down. Milk out of the cooler has to be maintained at 41 F for service, need a insulated storage unit. |
| 12A |
contamination prevented during food preparation, storage, display 511-6-1.04(4)(z) - miscellaneous sources of contamination (c) Corrected Repeat | 3 | Observed water bottle, carton milk, container of food stored in ice maker. Remove and clean. Observed trays of chicken stored on top of each other without a liner. Separate. |
| 15C |
nonfood-contact surfaces clean 511-6-1.05(7)(d) - nonfood-contact surfaces (c) | 1 | Observed food debris on clean dish storage racks, clean. |
| 18 |
insects, rodents, and animals not present 511-6-1.07(5)(k) - controlling pests (pf, c) | 3 | Observed roaches at dishwashing area. |
February 16, 2026 — Score 72
Routine · Inspector: Lance Dasher
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A |
proper cold holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; cold holding (p) | 9 | Observed milk temperature at 44 F-45 F in dairy cooler, move contents out of unit until fixed |
| 10D |
food properly labeled; original container 511-6-1.04(7)(d) - other forms of information (c) | 3 | Observed trays of food in storage, cooked vegetables, no date and food labeling. Discard. |
| 11D |
thermometers provided and accurate 511-6-1.05(2)(x) - tmd, located in refrigerators/ hot holding (pf, c) Repeat | 3 | Observed walk in units missing thermometers and some units with thermometers installed at fan units. Move towards entrance of coolers. |
| 12A |
contamination prevented during food preparation, storage, display 511-6-1.04(4)(z) - miscellaneous sources of contamination (c) | 3 | Observed a jug of water stored in ice maker, remove and clean. |
| 14C |
single-use/single-service articles: properly stored, used 511-6-1.05(6)(r) - single-service/single-use articles, use limitations (c) | 1 | Observed single service cups being used to dispense food products at secondary dry storage. Use scoops with handles. |
| 16B |
plumbing installed; proper backflow devices 511-6-1.06(2)(r) - system maintained in good repair (p, c) | 2 | Observed foot valves not working on hand wash sink, and sink is not secured. Observed hose bibb/spigot at four compartment sink broken, will not shut off. Observed in dishwasher room spray nozzle/faucet is broken and will not shut off. Observed floor drains that are clogged with trash. |
| 17C |
physical facilities installed, maintained, and clean 511-6-1.07(5)(a),(b) - good repair, physical facilities maintained; cleaning, frequency & restrictions, cleaned often enough to keep them clean (c) Repeat | 1 | Observed wall damage in bakery room, clean and paint, observed mildew in dishwasher room, floor, wall, and ceiling. Observed floor in back dry storage in small room with food debris behind shelving. Observed ceiling damage in cage room, water damage. Observed floor by cook station pitting, small holes in flooring. Observed roll up door needing a new gasket. |
| 17D |
adequate ventilation and lighting; designated areas used 511-6-1.07(2)(i) - light bulbs, protective shielding (c) | 1 | Observed cage covers/light shields missing in walk in cooler units. |
| 18 |
insects, rodents, and animals not present 511-6-1.07(5)(k) - controlling pests (pf, c) Repeat | 3 | Observed roach activity at bakery room, and at tray making station. |
June 27, 2025 — Score 85
Routine · Inspector: Lance Dasher
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2A |
food stored covered 511-6-1.04(4)(c)1(iv) - packaged & unpackaged food, food stored covered(c) Corrected | 4 | Observed open of RTE deli meat uncovered in walk in cooler. Discarded. |
| 11D |
thermometers provided and accurate 511-6-1.05(2)(x) - tmd, located in refrigerators/ hot holding (pf, c) | 3 | Observed walk in cooler(s) with thermometers missing, move thermometers that are present towards door of units. |
| 15A |
food and nonfood-contact surfaces cleanable, properly designed, constructed, and used 511-6-1.05(1)(a) - materials, general requirements (p, c) | 1 | Observed raw wood from under shelving at four compartment sink station, remove. |
| 16B |
plumbing installed; proper backflow devices 511-6-1.06(2)(r) - system maintained in good repair (p, c) | 2 | Observed faucet heads missing in serve line, reinstall. Install pluming under sinks that are missing in tray wash room and prep room. |
| 17C |
physical facilities installed, maintained, and clean 511-6-1.07(5)(a),(b) - good repair, physical facilities maintained; cleaning, frequency & restrictions, cleaned often enough to keep them clean (c) | 1 | Observed walk in freezer floors that need cleaning, debris/trash. Observed inside warehouse roll up door is damaged and needs replacing, large gap at bottom. The storage area has issues with gaps at the floor/way juncture, allowing mice and roaches entry. Seal. |
| 18 |
insects, rodents, and animals not present 511-6-1.07(5)(k) - controlling pests (pf, c) Repeat | 3 | Observed flies, roaches, and rodent droppings at areas in facility, manager has been shown hot spots. Increase vector control. |
January 19, 2024 — Score 82
Routine · Inspector: Lance Dasher
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2B |
proper eating, tasting, drinking, or tobacco use 511-6-1.03(5)(k)1&2 - eating, drinking, or using tobacco (c) Corrected | 4 | Observed drinks in kitchen not in a designated area away from prep and storage, in bakery, prep area, and serve line. |
| 2B |
food-contact surfaces: cleaned & sanitized 511-6-1.05(6)(n) - manual and mechanical warewashing equipment, chemical sanitization-temperature, ph, concentration, hardness (p,pf) Corrected | 4 | Observed sanitizer level in sink not detectable, water dropped and refilled. |
| 15A |
food and nonfood-contact surfaces cleanable, properly designed, constructed, and used 511-6-1.05(6)(a) - good repair & proper adjustment (c) Repeat | 1 | Observed tilt skillet with wood used to provide support, remove (repeat). Observed latch to dairy cooler door broken, repair. |
| 16B |
plumbing installed; proper backflow devices 511-6-1.06(2)(r) - system maintained in good repair (p, c) Repeat | 2 | Observed faucet leaks at 4 compartment sink, prep sinks, tray machine room rinse station, utility room faucet. |
| 17C |
physical facilities installed, maintained, and clean 511-6-1.07(5)(a),(b) - good repair, physical facilities maintained; cleaning, frequency & restrictions, cleaned often enough to keep them clean (c) Repeat | 1 | Observed ceiling damage in areas of kitchen, pack out room, washing area, side door entrance. Bakery room has wall damage due to metal pans. |
| 18 |
insects, rodents, and animals not present 511-6-1.07(5)(k) - controlling pests (pf, c) | 3 | Observed rodent activity in side warehouse and at caged equipment/spices. Roach activity in tray machine room and serving line by side entrance. |
June 29, 2023 — Score 84
Routine · Inspector: Lance Dasher
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2D |
adequate handwashing facilities supplied & accessible 511-6-1.06(2)(o) - using a handwashing sink- operation & maintenance (pf) | 4 | Observed hand wash station with no faucet head, and no soap. |
| 12A |
contamination prevented during food preparation, storage, display 511-6-1.04(4)(z) - miscellaneous sources of contamination (c) Corrected | 3 | Observed plastic food trays and jug of water in bottom of ice maker, removed, clean unit. |
| 15A |
food and nonfood-contact surfaces cleanable, properly designed, constructed, and used 511-6-1.05(6)(a) - good repair & proper adjustment (c) Repeat | 1 | Observed steam and condensation buildup in tray washing room. Areas under machine and shelving has black mildew on surfaces. Observed pieces of wood used to level tilting skillets, remove and use metal or plastic to elevate. |
| 16B |
plumbing installed; proper backflow devices 511-6-1.06(2)(r) - system maintained in good repair (p, c) | 2 | Observed sinks at dishwashing area with leaks on faucets and drain pipes. Floor drain was clogged, but was cleared. Observed sinks that could not shut off water flow in tray serving areas. |
| 17C |
physical facilities installed, maintained, and clean 511-6-1.07(5)(a),(b) - good repair, physical facilities maintained; cleaning, frequency & restrictions, cleaned often enough to keep them clean (c) Repeat | 1 | Observed rollup door damaged at small warehouse, spice storage room needs ventilation and continue painting. Ceiling damage observed in pack out room, serve line, and dishwashing area. |
| 18 |
insects, rodents, and animals not present 511-6-1.07(5)(k) - controlling pests (pf, c) | 3 | Observed flies in kitchen, need to keep exterior hallway for garbage disposal closed as much as possible, plastic curtain not be used properly (tied back). Rodent activity is at a better level. |
Recent reports (62)
Source-attributed observations and allegations from news coverage and reports submitted to GPS. Each entry credits its source.
- ALLEGATION According to The Georgia Virtue Published: Jun 22, 2026Adams and Moore facilitated a criminal enterprise within the prison that led to Kicklighter's murder.
"The lawsuit, filed by the family of Bobby C. Kicklighter, alleges that Adams and Moore facilitated a criminal enterprise operating from within the prison, which led to Kicklighter's murder in a botched murder-for-hire scheme in 2021."
Read source → - ALLEGATION According to The Georgia Virtue Published: Jun 22, 2026Adams and Moore facilitated a criminal enterprise within the prison that led to Kicklighter's murder.
"The lawsuit, filed by the family of Bobby C. Kicklighter, alleges that Adams and Moore facilitated a criminal enterprise operating from within the prison, which led to Kicklighter's murder in a botched murder-for-hire scheme in 2021."
Read source → - ALLEGATION According to WTOC Published: May 1, 2025A former employee sexually assaulted a corrections employee.
"A former employee of Smith State Prison in Georgia has been charged with sexual assault involving a corrections employee."
Read source → - ALLEGATION According to The Georgia Virtue Published: May 13, 2026Adams allegedly participated in a RICO organization (Yves Saint Laurent Squad) and accepted currency bribes through a pattern of racketeering associated with the enterprise run by inmate Nathan Weekes.
"They also contended that Adams participated in a RICO organization, being Yves Saint Laurent Squad run by then-Smith State Prison inmate Nathan Weekes, and he committed the offenses of Bribery and False Statements and Writings in furtherance of the RICO organization. Adams, they said, was bribed when he accepted currency through a pattern of racketeering associated with the RICO enterprise."
Read source → - ALLEGATION According to The Georgia Virtue Published: May 13, 2026Agents alleged that Adams provided false statements in an April 13, 2022 interview when he stated he had not been solicited or bribed by a GDC inmate in the past 10 years.
"Agents alleged that Adams provided false statements in an April 13, 2022 interview when he stated he has not been solicited or bribed by a Georgia Department of Corrections inmate in the past 10 years."
Read source →
Timeline (137)
Source Articles (40)
Former leadership
Officials who previously held leadership roles at this facility.
| Role | Name | Tenure | Deaths this facility / career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warden (facility lead) | Adams, Brian Dennis | 2019-10-01 → 2023-02-08 | 17 / 17 |
| WARDEN 3 (facility lead) | Beasley, Jacob | 2023-11-22 → 2024-12-31 | 6 / 42 |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT (facility lead) | Todd, Curtis J | 2025-01-01 → 2025-01-31 | — / 1 |
| Warden (facility lead) | Mims, Charles | 2026-07-05 → present | — / — |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | McFarlane, Andrew M | 2019-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | 17 / 53 |
| Deputy Warden of Security (facility deputy) | Henderson, Marcus | 2019-01-01 → 2023-01-01 | 17 / 17 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Foulks, Rodney | 2023-11-22 → 2025-12-31 | 7 / 7 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | COX, Eric | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 | 7 / 51 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Epperson, Alicia | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | 5 / 5 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Brown, Vashti J | 2019-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | 5 / 12 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Smith, Tarmarshe A | 2016-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | — / 36 |
| Clinical Chaplain (specialty lead) | Hill, Bernard | 2023-11-22 → 2026-08-27 | — / — |
Location
Aerial View
Architecture documents what the building was designed to hold. See the system-wide receipts at gps.press/warehouse.