Gibson, LEN Thomas

Tenure Summary

Len Thomas Gibson's documented GDC career begins in 2015 in a Business Operations post (Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2015, salary $40,209.36). In 2016 he moved to Valdosta State Prison as Deputy Warden — a facility-deputy role the records show him holding there from 2016 through 2025, with additional Deputy Warden entries at the same facility dated Nov. 22, 2023 and Aug. 27, 2026. The salary attached to the post rose from $42,067.26 in 2016 to $76,629.12 in 2025.

Per GPS's death registry, 70 deaths are attributed to Valdosta State Prison during Gibson's leadership tenure there — the whole of his attributed total, since Valdosta is the only facility at which the records place him as a facility leader. He is also named as a defendant in two federal lawsuits, both terminated with no recorded payout amount.

What happened on their watch

Valdosta State Prison — Deputy Warden (2016–present)

The 70 deaths attributed to this facility span the full arc of Gibson's deputy-warden tenure. Deaths recorded in the registry during those years run from natural/medical and suicide classifications to homicides — stabbings, strangulation, and blunt-force killings — alongside a large share whose cause GPS's registry still lists as Unknown/Pending.

Several deaths during this tenure generated litigation, press scrutiny, and settlement payments:

• Shane Griffith, 32, died May 30, 2024, of blunt force trauma. Warrants cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution describe 11 prisoners beating him with fists and a pole, kicking him, standing on his chest and placing a burning object on his body; all 11 were charged with murder. The AJC reported his family's allegation — in a notice of intent to sue the state — that he was beaten, burned, dragged by a rope and killed while staff were absent, and that his body was found only at 6:30 a.m. breakfast rounds. His mother alleged he had sought protective custody and was placed in general population at a maximum-security prison the day before his transfer, per the AJC.
• William Stacey Springer, 36, died Sept. 16, 2025. WALB reported the family's allegation that GDC did not contact them after the attack, and that inmates said officers did not respond to his stabbing for several hours.
• Je'Vion Benham, 21, was found dead in his cell Dec. 24, 2025; the coroner ruled strangulation and homicide, estimating he died Dec. 22 and that his body went undiscovered roughly two days. WTOC reported Coroner Austin Fiveash criticizing that delay as a major security concern.
• Hakeem Olajuwon Williams, 27, died Feb. 28, 2022, of a stab wound to the chest; a claim filed against the state alleged an officer placed him in a cell while handcuffed and he was attacked by a cellmate, per the AJC.
• Melvin Towns, 37, died April 21, 2024, stabbed with homemade knives; the AJC reported that he could have served his probation-violation sentence in a county jail by court order but was sent to what it described as the state's most understaffed prison. Ricky Bernard Harris, 39, died Feb. 20, 2024, of sharp-force trauma to the face and neck — the AJC reported he was stabbed at least 30 times with ink pens. Rufus Shawn Lane, 55, was found dead in his cell Jan. 13, 2024, of ligature strangulation, with GDC incident data showing a gang member was involved.

Broader systemic findings the records attach to this tenure include a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report finding Georgia prisons violate the Eighth Amendment through widespread violence, understaffing and systemic deficiencies; AJC reporting that 80% of correctional officer positions at Valdosta were vacant as of April; allegations that gangs controlled the kitchen and extorted inmates for food, and that prisoners were held in caged housing without toilet access; and Operation Skyhawk, announced by Gov. Brian Kemp on March 28, 2024, a two-year investigation into drone contraband drops that produced 150 arrests, 1,000 criminal charges and $7 million in confiscated goods including 87 drones. The AJC reported seven officers arrested in a contraband scheme run by Valdosta inmate Kydetrius Thomas, at least six of them GDC officers; that Lt. Lyric Oliver resigned in March 2024 and was arrested in June 2024 over improper dealings with inmate Alfred Jones; and that Warden Ralph Shropshire was fired in July 2024 for "misconduct" that GDC declined to detail, citing an open investigation.

Settlements recorded in the GA DOAS Risk Management ledger against Valdosta during this tenure include $998,485 (Caleb Mitchell, 2017), $362,500 (unnamed claimant, 2016), $60,000 (Terry Berrian, 2021), $15,000 (Corey King, 2019) and $10,000 each (Taurus Bernard Dickerson, 2017; Micki Brown, 2018; Melvin Cooper, 2016).

The 25 most recent deaths in the registry during this tenure:

• James Loreno died Aug. 13, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending.
• Ramon Daniel Ortiz died July 4, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 33.
• Steven Bryant died June 23, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 49.
• Antavious Bailey died June 21, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 40.
• Kevin James Flamer died May 28, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 26.
• Jeremiah Alan Brown died May 26, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 40.
• Dontarious Lamonta Burke died April 19, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 23.
• Robert Jordan Watkins died March 18, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 38.
• Robert Louis Johnson died March 8, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 60.
• Sergio Hernandez died Feb. 26, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide. Age 39.
• Ronnie Jackson died Feb. 15, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical. Age 62.
• Dequontist Marquez Lucas died Dec. 25, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 41.
• Jevion Andrez Benham died Dec. 24, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide. Age 21.
• Jessie James Kilgore died Dec. 23, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 56.
• Arthur Nekita Burks died Nov. 28, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 61.
• Paul Hampton died Oct. 12, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 66.
• Garrett Paul Schmidt died Sept. 21, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 40.
• William Stacey Springer died Sept. 16, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide. Age 36.
• Jason Frank Jordan died June 1, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 45.
• Anthony Vashern Prothro died April 7, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Suicide. Age 34.
• Brandon Dominique Mcgee died April 2, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide. Age 33.
• Chet Elliott Kent died March 16, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 45.
• Ryan Cornelius Rumph died March 11, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide. Age 34.
• Eric Lee Schermerhorn died March 4, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 40.
• Sinjuan Harmon died Jan. 12, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide.

Litigation

• Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order, No. 1:25-cv-03191 (GAND), filed June 6, 2025, terminated March 30, 2026; no outcome amount recorded. Gibson is listed as a defendant.
• Daker v. Ward, No. 7:20-cv-00113 (GAMD), filed June 11, 2020, terminated Nov. 3, 2021; no outcome amount recorded. Gibson is listed as a defendant.

Both matters are recorded as terminated; no liability finding or payment amount appears in the docket data.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — investigations into Valdosta State Prison deaths (Griffith, Towns, Harris, Lane, Williams), Operation Skyhawk officer arrests, and reporting on staffing shortages and prison failures
• WALB — reporting on the William Springer stabbing and the family's account of GDC's failure to contact them
• WTOC — reporting on Je'Vion Benham's death and Coroner Austin Fiveash's criticism of the discovery delay
• U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 report finding Georgia prisons violate the Eighth Amendment
• GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger (Open Records) — liability payouts tied to Valdosta State Prison
• GPS death registry — deaths and cause classifications at Valdosta State Prison
• Court records via CourtListener — Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order (1:25-cv-03191); Daker v. Ward (7:20-cv-00113)

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Sep 27, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.