Flowers, Karen Douglas

Tenure Summary

Karen Douglas Flowers’s Georgia Department of Corrections career runs from a 2006 post as Chief of Security at Lee State Prison through Correction Operations in 2015, Correctional Captain from 2016 through 2019, Deputy Warden at Lee State Prison in 2020 and 2021, and Warden there beginning in 2022. Position records list a Warden title at both Lee State Prison and Pulaski State Prison for January 1 through August 31, 2023, and her Pulaski State Prison Warden tenure from September 1, 2023 through April 15, 2025, with Warden titles continuing in later position records.

GPS’s death registry attributes nine deaths to her leadership tenures — six at Pulaski State Prison and three at Lee State Prison. One lawsuit naming her as a defendant is pending, and one $85,000 state liability settlement tied to Pulaski State Prison in 2024 (decedent Makayah Howard) appears in the state’s Open Records settlement ledger.

What happened on their watch

Lee State Prison — Deputy Warden (2020–2021). Three deaths are attributed here. Anthony Wilbert Cheek died March 26, 2020, at Lee State Prison; GPS’s registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 49. Phillip E. Patterson died April 4, 2020, at Lee State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 63. Pedro Perez-Robles died May 28, 2021, at Lee State Prison; Suicide, age 38.

Lee State Prison — Warden (2022). No further deaths, allegations, or incidents are documented in the records for this posting.

Pulaski State Prison — Warden (2023–2025). Six deaths are attributed to this tenure. Cynthia McCain died September 3, 2023, at Pulaski State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 65. Sheila Britton died September 22, 2023; Natural/Medical, age 60. Ramada Lesha Butts died April 16, 2024; Unknown/Pending, age 52. Tracy Michelle Graves died May 16, 2024; Unknown/Pending, age 45. Lesley Bell Owens died July 23, 2024; Unknown/Pending, age 49. Stephanie Sabrina Gary died March 5, 2025; Natural/Medical, age 55. Four of the six causes are recorded as Unknown/Pending, meaning GPS does not yet know them.

An intel event dated July 5, 2024 records the death of Monika Bradley at Pulaski State Prison with cause undetermined and the GDC’s Office of Professional Standards investigating as standard procedure.

Allegations reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution during this tenure include that Bonnie Rocheleau failed to receive adequate care for pneumonia, leading to her death, and that Mollianne Fischer failed to receive adequate medical care and was left in a vegetative state (both January 21, 2025). A same-date AJC account describes officers and staff not noticing a stabbing until an outside caller reported it, with the prisoner reporting an assault hours earlier by ten people. AJC reporting on May 13, 2024 described the alleged sexual misconduct of two prison supervisors as potentially signaling a larger systemic problem, and alleged that Deputy Warden Alonzo L. McMillian had a sexual relationship with a prisoner with improper contact on February 24 and 25; he was arrested May 2, 2024, released the next day on $10,000 bond, and terminated by GDC that same day, spokesperson Joan Heath confirmed.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights investigation into Georgia’s prison system, with findings documented at Pulaski State Prison for 2022–2023, is referenced in reports dated October 31, 2023 and October 1, 2024. Intel events dated April 1, 2025 reference allegations of intimidation, retaliation, extended lockdowns and grievance-process failures under new Warden Wendy Jackson, and a $10,000 gang-extortion incident involving Pamela Dixon’s daughter.

Litigation

• Williams v. Oliver, No. 5:24-cv-00471, filed December 17, 2024 in GAMD; status pending, no disposition or outcome amount recorded. GPS’s court records list Flowers as a defendant.

Sources

• Georgia Prisoners’ Speak death registry — names, dates, facilities and causes for the nine deaths listed above
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — January 21, 2025 investigation into prison system failures (Rocheleau, Fischer, stabbing response); May 13, 2024 report on supervisors accused in sex cases (McMillian)
• U.S. Department of Justice — civil rights investigation of Georgia prisons, with findings at Pulaski State Prison
• U.S. District Court (GAMD) docket, via CourtListener — Williams v. Oliver
• Georgia DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger (Open Records) — $85,000 settlement tied to Pulaski State Prison, 2024 (Makayah Howard)

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Oct 11, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.