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Carter, Curtis
Status: active
Profile written August 2, 2026
This profile reflects positional accountability — this individual held the leadership roles shown during the dates shown, during which the listed deaths or lawsuits occurred. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding of personal culpability for any specific incident.
Tenure Summary
Curtis Carter’s career with the Georgia Department of Corrections began in 2008 as part of a Special Management Unit CERT team and progressed through supervisory roles at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison before he became Deputy Warden at Burruss Correctional Training Center (2020–2023). He was promoted to Warden at Autry State Prison (2024–2025) and later transferred to Valdosta State Prison, where he served as Warden from January 2025 through May 2026. During his leadership-tenure postings, GPS records attribute a total of 24 deaths to the facilities he oversaw — 1 at Burruss, 2 at Autry, and 21 at Valdosta. His time at Valdosta coincided with an extraordinary concentration of violent deaths, systemic understaffing, and multiple allegations of corruption and neglect documented by news outlets and watchdogs.What happened on their watch
Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (Lieutenant, 2010; Captain, 2016–2018)
Carter held unit-supervisor roles at Georgia Diagnostic’s Jackson facility for several years. No deaths were attributed to his tenure in any supervisor capacity at the prison, although the facility itself continued to operate at extreme overcrowding — GPS records show it was later reported to hold 4,540 people in a structure originally designed for 800.Burruss Correctional Training Center (Deputy Warden, 2020–2023)
One death was recorded during Carter’s four‑year term as Deputy Warden at Burruss. GPS records list Robert Carey Seymour, age 58, who died on March 9, 2022; the cause of death is categorized as unknown/pending. No additional deaths, lawsuits, or major public incidents have been linked to this tenure.Autry State Prison (Warden, 2024–2025)
Carter was the facility lead at Autry when two deaths occurred. Alerick Campbell, 56, died on December 22, 2024, and Harvey Jack Woodard, 69, died on May 8, 2025. In both cases, GPS records list the cause of death as unknown/pending. No lawsuits name Carter as a defendant from this period, and no intel reports flag Autry for unusual incidents during his leadership.Valdosta State Prison (Warden, January 2025–May 2026)
The bulk of the deaths attributed to Carter’s leadership occurred at Valdosta, where GPS records document 21 fatalities in under 17 months. The decedents ranged in age from 21 to 66, and the causes reflect a mix of violence, suspected suicide, and unresolved classifications. Among the documented cases:- Sinjuan Harmon (Jan. 12, 2025) was killed by strangulation; the GDC’s own January 2025 mortality report classified it as a homicide, according to GPS records.
- Brandon McGee (Apr. 2, 2025) and Ryan Rumph (Mar. 11, 2025) were both found dead in their cells; local news outlet WALB reported that McGee’s body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab and that the Valdosta coroner publicly stated the prison needed help.
- Jevion Benham (Dec. 24, 2025, death estimated Dec. 22) was strangled in segregation. The Lowndes County coroner ruled the death a homicide and criticized the two‑day delay in discovering the body, calling it a “major security concern,” per WTOC.
- William Springer (Sep. 16, 2025) was stabbed multiple times in the face and head. WALB reported that inmates alleged jailers did not respond for hours; his family said he was brain‑dead on arrival at the hospital.
- Anthony Prothro (Apr. 7, 2025) died by suicide; a GBI autopsy confirmed hanging, per GPS records.
- Numerous other deaths — including Chet Kent, who GPS notes “died in the hole,” and several more listed as cause unknown — added to the facility’s toll.
During the same period, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Valdosta State Prison was operating with 80% of its correctional officer positions vacant, making meaningful supervision nearly impossible. That reporting, along with accounts gathered by GPS, detailed allegations that staff failed to detect or intervene in prolonged inmate attacks, that gangs controlled food distribution, and that at least six officers were arrested for smuggling drugs and cellphones as part of a contraband ring dubbed “Operation Skyhawk.” Separately, federal prosecutors indicted an inmate, Luis Ramirez, for directing a large‑scale methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking network from within the prison using contraband cellphones; the investigation began in July 2025 while Carter was warden. In July 2026, the GDC alleged that an inmate had staged a viral TikTok video of a flooded cell; the same inmate claimed the video reflected genuine poor conditions, according to WRDW. A former supervisor publicly corroborated on Facebook that staffing shortages were so severe that deputies pressured supervisors to falsify numbers, per GPS records.
Litigation
No lawsuits naming Curtis Carter as a defendant were found in GPS records.Sources
- GPS intelligence records: personnel positions, death logs, and intel reports (including coroner statements, autopsy confirmations, and witness claims).
- WALB — reporting on deaths of Brandon McGee, William Springer, and Sinjuan Harmon; statements from Lowndes County coroner.
- WTOC — coverage of Jevion Benham’s death and coroner’s criticism of delayed discovery.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — multiple investigations into understaffing (80% vacancy rate at Valdosta), Operation Skyhawk officer arrests, and inmate contraband networks.
- WRDW — reporting on staged flooded-cell video and inmate claims of poor conditions.
- Yahoo News — article on federal drug trafficking indictment of inmate Luis Ramirez originating from Valdosta State Prison.
- GBI Division of Forensic Sciences — autopsy report for Anthony Prothro confirming suicide by hanging.
- Public Facebook comment on GPS story — former supervisor alleging pressure to falsify staffing records at Valdosta.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Warden | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2025-07-16 → present |
| WARDEN 1 | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| Warden | AUTRY STATE PRISON | 2024-02-01 → 2025-07-15 |
| WARDEN 1 | AUTRY STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | BURRUSS C.T.C | 2020-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL CAPTAIN | BURRUSS C.T.C | 2019-01-01 → 2019-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL CAPTAIN | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CORRECTION OPERATIONS | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Lieutenant | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2010-01-01 → 2010-12-31 |
| Special Management Unit CERT team | 2008-01-01 → 2008-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:25-cv-00073 | GASD | 2025-05-03 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
24 people died at facilities under Carter, Curtis's leadership.
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