Carter, Curtis

Tenure Summary

What happened on their watch

Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (2010, 2016–2018, 2026)

Burruss Correctional Training Center (2019–2023)

Autry State Prison (2024–July 2025)

Valdosta State Prison (January 2025–May 2026)

Specific cases drew public attention. WALB reported that Je’Vion Benham was found dead Dec. 24, 2025; the Lowndes County Coroner ruled the manner homicide by strangulation and estimated he died about two days before discovery. WTOC reported that Coroner Austin Fiveash publicly called the two-day discovery delay a major security concern. GPS records also show that a GDC incident report produced in response to a request over Benham’s death had the incident-detail block redacted under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72(a)(25)(A)(iv), listed eight staff as directly involved with Use of Force “NO,” and noted a pending OPS investigation. WALB reported that William Springer was stabbed in the face and head in September 2025 and was brain-dead upon arrival at the hospital, with his family alleging jailers did not respond for hours. GPS records note Ronnie Jackson’s record includes a statement that he had a seizure, fell off a bunk, and hit his head. For Robert Watkins, GPS records contain an unconfirmed Telegram-relay and inmate-witness allegation of suicide, which GPS did not independently corroborate.

Reporting during Carter’s Valdosta tenure described broader facility patterns: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Valdosta was operating with roughly 80% of correctional officer positions vacant as of April 2026, and that multiple staff were accused in contraband schemes tied to an inmate, including Operation Skyhawk; Yahoo reported that task forces began investigating inmate Luis Ramirez in July 2025 for directing a fentanyl and methamphetamine network from Valdosta using contraband cellphones, leading to a seven-person indictment filed shortly before the end of Carter’s tenure. In March 2026, the AJC reported that a federal judge sanctioned GDC and former officer Angela Butler over destruction of video in the 2022 fatal stabbing of Hakeem Williams; that death predates Carter’s Valdosta posting and is not included in the 14 deaths attributed to his tenure.

Sources

• GPS structured personnel, death, and intelligence records — Carter, Curtis
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — multiple reports on Valdosta State Prison staffing, contraband schemes, Operation Skyhawk, and the Williams video-destruction sanctions
• WALB — reporting on the deaths of Je’Vion Benham and William Springer
• WTOC — Coroner Austin Fiveash’s criticism of the Benham body-discovery delay
• Yahoo.com — reporting on the Luis Ramirez drug-trafficking indictment directed from Valdosta State Prison

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Sep 6, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.