Goettie, Michael L

Tenure Summary

Michael L. Goettie joined the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 as a correctional officer and rose steadily through the ranks — lieutenant by 2017, unit manager by 2020 — before being appointed Deputy Warden at Rogers State Prison in 2021, a post he has held continuously through at least 2025. GPS records show 14 deaths attributed to Rogers State Prison during Goettie's tenure as Deputy Warden, spanning March 2021 through February 2026. The dominant cause category across 13 of those deaths is category 6 (cause unspecified in available records); one death is recorded as a suicide by hanging. Goettie is also named as a defendant in one federal civil lawsuit filed in 2025.

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What Happened on Their Watch

Rogers State Prison — Deputy Warden, 2021–present

GPS records attribute 14 incarcerated-person deaths to Rogers State Prison during Goettie's tenure as Deputy Warden. The deaths span from March 17, 2021 (Chad Walker Jeter, 43) through February 19, 2026 (John Meeks, 49). Thirteen of the fourteen deaths carry cause category 6; the remaining death — Justin Waymon Hollingsworth, 43, on June 26, 2025 — is noted in GPS records as "suicide-hanging (hole)." The ages of the deceased range from 21 (Caleb Sexton, April 2022) to 60 (Randy Eugene Stewart, July 2025), with several individuals in their 20s and 30s: Timothy Brent Jenkins, 22 (April 2022); Shawn Remar Johnson, 34 (July 2024); Taylor Anthony Hunt, 29 (September 2024); William Joseph Smiley, 41 (August 2023); Bradley Lyle Weitzel, 40 (March 2023); and Randall Henry Baker, 38 (December 2023).

The death of Taylor Anthony Hunt, recorded with an incident date of September 27, 2024, is the subject of multiple GPS intelligence events. Per those GPS records, GDC initially classified Hunt's death as a suicide; however, GPS intelligence entries allege that Hunt's body showed ligature marks, broken bones, bruises, and puncture and stab wounds — physical findings that, according to those records, contradict the official ruling. No independent investigative source is identified in the structured records, and no cause determination beyond the GPS intelligence entries is available in the input data.

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Litigation

• Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order, No. 1:25-cv-03191 (N.D. Ga.), filed June 6, 2025; terminated March 30, 2026. Goettie is listed as a defendant. No settlement amount is recorded in available court records.

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Sources

• GPS records — 14 deaths attributed to Rogers State Prison during Goettie's Deputy Warden tenure, 2021–2026; positions and salary data, 2015–2025
• GPS intelligence events — multiple entries regarding the death of Taylor Anthony Hunt at Rogers State Prison, alleging physical evidence inconsistent with GDC's initial suicide ruling
• CourtListener / PACER — Daker v. Oliver, 1:25-cv-03191 (GAND), docket and termination date

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