Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Carter, Curtis
Carter, Curtis
Status: active
Profile written June 14, 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 has held a series of correctional leadership posts in the Georgia Department of Corrections since at least 2010, beginning as a Lieutenant at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison and advancing through Captain and Deputy Warden roles before his appointment as Warden at Autry State Prison in 2024 and later at Valdosta State Prison. GPS records attribute a total of 22 deaths to facilities during his tenures as a unit supervisor, facility deputy, and facility lead — 19 at Valdosta State Prison, 2 at Autry State Prison, and 1 at Burruss Correctional Training Center. Carter’s time at Valdosta coincided with an intensifying cycle of homicides, critical staffing shortfalls, and multiple news investigations into corruption and neglect.What happened on his watch
Burruss Correctional Training Center (Deputy Warden, 2020–2023)
One death was recorded while Carter served as Deputy Warden at Burruss. GPS records show Robert Carey Seymour, 58, died on March 9, 2022, with the cause listed as undetermined. No intel reports, news allegations, or facility-specific lawsuits during his tenure were linked to this facility.Autry State Prison (Warden, January 2024–July 2025)
Two deaths occurred during Carter’s leadership at Autry. Alerick Campbell, 56, died on December 22, 2024, and Harvey Jack Woodard, 69, died on May 8, 2025. Both deaths are categorized with a cause of “unknown/pending” in GPS records. No broader systemic reports or litigation surfaced in connection with Carter’s time at Autry.Valdosta State Prison (Warden, 2025–present)
The 19 deaths attributed to Carter’s tenure at Valdosta stretch from January 2025 into April 2026, marked by homicides, suicides, and disputed circumstances. Among the most heavily documented incidents:- Jevion Benham, 21, was found strangled on December 24, 2025, after lying dead in his cell for approximately two days. Lowndes County Coroner Austin Fiveash, quoted by WTOC, called the two-day delay a “major security concern” and declared the death a homicide. The coroner’s office said the prison “needs help.”
- William Springer, 36, was stabbed multiple times in the face and head on September 16, 2025, and was declared brain-dead upon arrival at the hospital. According to WALB, his family alleged officers did not respond for hours.
- Sinjuan Harmon was killed by strangulation on January 12, 2025, per GPS records citing a WALB report. Brandon McGee, 33, died on April 2, 2025, and his body was sent to the GBI crime lab; WALB reported the homicide.
- Ryan Rumph, 34, was found dead in his cell on March 11, 2025; his death prompted a public plea from the Valdosta coroner, reported by WTXL.
- Anthony Prothro, 34, died by suicide on April 7, 2025, per GPS records. Ronnie Jackson, 62, died on February 15, 2026, after a seizure and fall from his bunk, according to internal notes.
- Robert Watkin, 38, died March 18, 2026; a single inmate-witness allegation, logged by GPS, claims he killed himself, though the cause remains officially undetermined.
Beyond these individual cases, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution documented systemic dysfunction at Valdosta during Carter’s watch. The publication reported that 80% of correctional officer positions were vacant, making it “virtually impossible to supervise the inmate population.” Multiple AJC investigations detailed a sprawling contraband network: in May 2026, seven people were indicted for a methamphetamine- and fentanyl‑trafficking ring run from inside the prison by inmate Luis Ramirez, with 35 kilograms of drugs and $145,000 seized. Separate AJC reporting revealed that at least six officers aided inmate Kydetrius Thomas in smuggling drug‑soaked paper and cellphones, and a federal judge sanctioned the Georgia Department of Corrections for destroying video evidence of a 2022 fatal stabbing at Valdosta — a case that continued to generate legal fallout during Carter’s tenure. Additional AJC articles, relying on court filings and family lawsuits, described the alleged prolonged torture and killing of inmate Shane Griffith by eleven others, who reportedly beat, burned, and dragged him for hours without staff intervention; Griffith’s mother told the newspaper he had sought protective custody but was instead sent to a maximum‑security dorm. While this specific death is not among the 19 listed in the capped sample, the episode illustrates the extreme security failures that news outlets tied directly to the prison on Carter’s watch.
Litigation
The name “Curtis Carter” appears as a defendant in several federal lawsuits, but none appear connected to his employment with the Georgia Department of Corrections. These cases include:- Kat v. Glynn County School District, 2:25-cv-00073 (S.D. Ga., filed 2025) — pending
- Johnson v. Carters Retail Inc, 1:21-cv-03461 (N.D. Ga., filed 2021) — terminated 2022
- Hill v. Macrina, 1:16-cv-00016 (N.D. Ga., filed 2016) — terminated 2017
- Alexander v. Prospect Mortgage Llc, 1:13-cv-01312 (N.D. Ga., filed 2013) — terminated 2014
- In Re Wright Medical Technology Inc Conserve Hip Implant Products, 1:12-md-02329 (N.D. Ga., filed 2012) — terminated 2018
- Mainor v. Lazer Spot Inc, 1:11-cv-00971 (N.D. Ga., filed 2011) — terminated 2013
Sources
- GPS intelligence records — personnel history, death records, and intel reports
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — multiple investigations (staffing crisis, Operation Skyhawk contraband schemes, officer corruption, destruction of evidence, Shane Griffith killing)
- WALB — reports on William Springer stabbing, Jevion Benham homicide, and family allegations
- WTOC — Coroner Austin Fiveash’s criticism of delayed body discovery
- Yahoo.com — coverage of Luis Ramirez drug trafficking indictment
- Federal court records (CourtListener) — litigation naming “Carter, Curtis”
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 |
| 1:21-cv-03461 | GAND | 2021-08-23 | terminated |
| 1:16-cv-00016 | GAND | 2016-01-04 | terminated |
| 1:13-cv-01312 | GAND | 2013-04-19 | terminated |
| 1:12-md-02329 | GAND | 2012-02-27 | terminated |
| 1:11-cv-00971 | GAND | 2011-03-25 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
22 people died at facilities under Carter, Curtis's leadership.
Submit a correction
If you are the named individual or an authorized representative and dispute information on this page, submit details below. Substantiated corrections are applied promptly. Disputes that remain unresolved are flagged on the profile.