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Foulks, Rodney
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
Rodney Foulks began his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 as a corrections officer at Valdosta State Prison and steadily advanced through sergeant, lieutenant, and unit manager roles before becoming deputy warden at Smith State Prison in 2024. Over his leadership tenure — holding unit‑supervisor and facility‑deputy positions — GPS records attribute seven deaths to the facilities he oversaw, all occurring at Smith State Prison during his service as deputy warden. His time at Smith coincided with an unusually violent and lawless period, marked by a sprawling contraband scheme allegedly orchestrated by the warden, multiple inmate homicides and suicides, and the fatal shooting of a civilian worker. Foulks is also named as a defendant in two federal lawsuits, though neither has resulted in a judgment against him as of this writing.What Happened on Their Watch
Georgia State Prison (2017–2018)
As a correctional sergeant and later lieutenant at Georgia State Prison, Foulks held staff‑level and unit‑supervisor roles. GPS records show no deaths attributed to the facility during these specific postings, and no lawsuits name him in connection with events at this location.Valdosta State Prison — Unit Manager (2019–2022) and Special Assistant (2026)
Foulks served as a unit manager at Valdosta State Prison from 2019 through 2022. While the facility later saw numerous homicides and the Operation Skyhawk drug‑trafficking scandal, no deaths are attributed to this unit‑supervisor tenure in GPS records. He returned to Valdosta in May 2026 as Special Assistant to the Warden, a role with an undefined accountability tier; no fatalities are recorded there.Smith State Prison — Unit Manager (2023) and Deputy Warden (2024–2025)
After a year as a unit manager in 2023, Foulks was promoted to deputy warden in January 2024. All seven deaths attributed to his leadership occurred during this deputy‑warden tenure.The fatalities are a mix of violence and medical emergencies. According to the Atlanta Journal‑Constitution, Donquerius Lamonte Mahone, 37, died by homicide. The natural death of John Jacobs, 77, is documented in a detailed coroner’s report: he succumbed to sepsis and multiorgan failure at an outside hospital in October 2025. The remaining five men — Gineli Antoine Gray (31), Jaydrekus Cartez Hart (34), Richard Jermine Williams (43), Orlando Jordan (36), and Calvin Bernard Craft (34) — died between February and December 2024 under cause‑category codes that GPS records do not interpret, though the death of Hart, who shot a civilian food‑service worker before killing himself, indicates at least some were suicides.
Foulks’ watch overlapped with an acute crisis at Smith State Prison. The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution reported that roughly two‑thirds of officer positions were vacant, leaving only 53 officers for a facility designed for 160. The Marshall Project described staff so overworked they sometimes failed to notice dead inmates for days. During the same period, then‑Warden Brian Adams was allegedly taking bribes as part of a contraband network run by inmate Nathan Weekes — a scheme that, according to the AJC and The Georgia Virtue, allowed Weekes to use a cellphone to orchestrate three murders, including the killing of an 88‑year‑old civilian mistaken for a targeted officer. A loaded gun was also smuggled into the prison and used in the shooting death of civilian worker Aureon Shavea Grace by inmate Jaydrekus Hart. While no public allegations have accused Foulks of direct involvement, all seven inmate deaths occurred while he was the facility’s second‑in‑command.
Litigation
- Humphrey v. Moody, No. 7:24‑cv‑00006 (GAMD, filed Jan. 22, 2024) — Pending. Foulks is named as a defendant; the nature of the claims is not detailed in available GPS records.
- Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order, No. 1:25‑cv‑03191 (GAND, filed June 6, 2025, terminated Mar. 30, 2026) — Case closed; related to a filing restriction and does not appear to involve the deaths described above.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — homicide listing for Donquerius Mahone; investigations into Smith State Prison’s understaffing, contraband, murders orchestrated by Nathan Weekes, and the gun‑smuggling incident.
- The Georgia Virtue — reporting on the indictment of former Warden Brian Adams and allegations of the Saint Laurent Squad contraband enterprise.
- The Marshall Project — examination of severe understaffing and its consequences at Smith State Prison.
- Coroner’s records — death certificate and coroner report for John Jacobs (Tattnall County Case #2025‑084).
- GPS records — personnel roster, death attributions, and incarceration data.
- Federal court dockets (CourtListener) — Humphrey v. Moody and Daker v. Oliver case information.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Special Assistant to the Warden | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2026-05-01 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL OFFICER 2 | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER(WL) | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:25-cv-03191 | GAND | 2025-06-06 | terminated |
| 7:24-cv-00006 | GAMD | 2024-01-22 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
7 people died at facilities under Foulks, Rodney's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-25 | JOHN JACOBS | 77 | SMITH STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-12-14 | CALVIN BERNARD CRAFT | 34 | SMITH STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-09-13 | ORLANDO JORDAN | 36 | SMITH STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-09-07 | RICHARD JERMINE WILLIAMS | 43 | SMITH STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-06-16 | JAYDREKUS CARTEZ HART | 34 | SMITH STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-02-09 | GINELI ANTOINE GRAY | 31 | SMITH STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-02-04 | DONQUERIUS LAMONTE MAHONE | 37 | SMITH STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
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