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Foulks, Rodney
Status: active
Profile written August 9, 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 has served in the Georgia Department of Corrections since 2015, holding roles from correctional officer to deputy warden at Valdosta State Prison, Georgia State Prison, and Smith State Prison. GPS records attribute seven deaths to leadership tenures held by Foulks—all occurring during his tenure as Deputy Warden at Smith State Prison between 2024 and 2025. No deaths are attributed to his earlier supervisory roles as a unit manager at Valdosta or Smith, or to his current advisory position at Valdosta. During his time as deputy warden, Smith State Prison drew intense scrutiny for extreme understaffing, contraband trafficking, and fatal violence, documented in multiple media investigations and indicted corruption charges against the facility’s warden. Foulks is a named defendant in two federal lawsuits, one terminated and one pending.What happened on their watch
Unit Manager, Valdosta State Prison (2019–2022)
Foulks oversaw a housing unit as a Correctional Unit Manager. GPS records show no deaths attributed to his leadership at this facility during these years. Intel reports from this period mention systemic issues at Valdosta—including a 2022 fatal stabbing of an inmate and a contraband investigation involving multiple staff—but these events occurred after Foulks’ tenure or are not linked to his unit.Unit Manager, Smith State Prison (2023)
Foulks transferred to Smith State Prison as a Unit Manager in 2023. No deaths were recorded under his leadership that year. By this time, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other outlets were already reporting severe understaffing and contraband concerns at Smith, though no specific deaths are tied to Foulks’ unit.Deputy Warden, Smith State Prison (2024–2025)
As Deputy Warden, Foulks held facility-wide accountability. GPS records attribute seven deaths at Smith State Prison to this period. The decedents are:- Donquerius Lamonte Mahone, 37, died February 4, 2024; the Atlanta Journal-Constitution identifies his death as a homicide.
- Gineli Antoine Gray, 31, died February 9, 2024 (cause category 6 per GPS records).
- Jaydrekus Cartez Hart, 34, died June 16, 2024 (cause category 6). According to GPS intel records, Hart obtained a firearm inside the prison, shot and killed a food service worker, then died by suicide.
- Richard Jermine Williams, 43, died September 7, 2024; a GBI Medical Examiner report obtained by GPS lists the manner as suicide by hanging.
- Orlando Jordan, 36, died September 13, 2024 (cause category 6).
- Calvin Bernard Craft, 34, died December 14, 2024 (cause category 6).
- John Jacobs, 77, died October 25, 2025; the Tattnall County coroner’s record, reviewed by GPS, lists the cause as cardiorespiratory arrest due to sepsis and other medical complications, with the manner natural.
During Foulks’ deputy warden tenure, Smith State Prison was wracked by allegations of systemic dysfunction. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the facility functioned with about two-thirds of correctional officer positions unfilled, creating what it called “dangerous conditions.” In June 2024, inmate Hart’s shooting of a kitchen worker with a smuggled firearm underscored security lapses. The warden at the time, Brian Adams, was later indicted on RICO and other felony charges for allegedly participating in an inmate-led contraband network; another inmate was accused of ordering three murders from inside the prison using a contraband cellphone. In April 2026, a gang-related altercation at Smith triggered a system-wide lockdown of all GDC facilities. None of these corruption allegations or criminal charges name Foulks directly.
Special Assistant to the Warden, Valdosta State Prison (2026–present)
Foulks returned to Valdosta in May 2026 in a staff advisory role. As of this reporting, GPS records list no deaths attributed to this posting.Litigation
- Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order (1:25-cv-03191, N.D. Ga., filed June 6, 2025, terminated March 30, 2026). Foulks was named as a defendant in this filing-restriction matter; the nature of his specific involvement is not detailed in available records.
- Humphrey v. Moody (7:24-cv-00006, M.D. Ga., filed January 22, 2024, pending). Foulks is a defendant; the allegations against him are not specified in GPS records.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — multiple investigations into Smith State Prison understaffing, contraband enterprises, and the homicide of Donquerius Mahone
- GBI Medical Examiner — cause and manner of Richard Williams’ death (suicide)
- Tattnall County Coroner Record — cause and manner of John Jacobs’ death (natural)
- Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS) intelligence platform — death tallies, personnel records, intel reports and events
- The Georgia Virtue — coverage of the Brian Adams indictment and allegations at Smith State Prison
- WTOC, WRDW, Yahoo.com, In These Times, The Marshall Project — reports on conditions, violence, and contraband at Smith and Valdosta State Prisons
- CourtListener — docket records for Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction and Humphrey v. Moody
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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