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Goettie, Michael L
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 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
Michael L. Goettie began his Georgia Department of Corrections career as a correctional officer in 2015, advancing to lieutenant by 2017 and unit manager by 2020. In 2021, he was appointed Deputy Warden at Rogers State Prison, a role he held through at least December 2025, according to GPS position records. GPS data attribute 14 deaths to Rogers State Prison during Goettie’s leadership tenure, all occurring while he served as the facility’s deputy warden. One federal lawsuit naming Goettie as a defendant was terminated in 2026 without a recorded monetary outcome, and allegations surrounding the 2024 death of Taylor Hunt generated repeated intelligence reports tracked by GPS.What happened on their watch
Goettie served as Deputy Warden at Rogers State Prison from January 1, 2021 through at least December 31, 2025; a death record from February 2026 also lists him in that role. During this period, 14 deaths were recorded at the facility, spanning March 2021 to February 2026. The decedents ranged in age from 21 (Caleb Sexton) to 60 (Randy Eugene Stewart).Three deaths have publicly available Tattnall County coroner records: Randy Eugene Stewart died of natural causes (E. coli peritonitis) in hospital in July 2025; David Woods (whose death certificate spells the name “Wood”) died of coronary artery disease and influenza in February 2025; and Justin Waymon Hollingsworth died by suicide by hanging in his cell in June 2025. For the remaining 11 deaths, GPS records assign cause category 6—an unspecified classification—without detailed narratives in the system.
Intelligence reports tracked by GPS repeatedly cite the September 2024 death of Taylor Hunt, 29, listed under cause category 6. Multiple reports allege that the official suicide ruling is contradicted by evidence, including ligature marks, broken bones, bruises, and puncture wounds, describing the death as a possible homicide. Separately, GPS intelligence logs note an incident in May 2025 in which a prisoner, Jason Palmer, was allegedly held in segregation at Rogers State Prison and denied adequate food, phone access, and emergency contact registration.
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. Michael L. Goettie was listed as a defendant. No monetary outcome was recorded.
Sources
- GPS personnel and death records, including total death counts by facility
- Tattnall County Coroner records for Stewart, Hollingsworth, and Woods (loaded 2026)
- GPS intelligence database (multiple reports on Taylor Hunt death, Palmer segregation incident)
- CourtListener docket for Daker v. Oliver (filing restriction case)
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2021-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2020-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2017-01-01 → 2019-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL OFFICER 2 | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:25-cv-03191 | GAND | 2025-06-06 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
14 people died at facilities under Goettie, Michael L's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | JOHN MEEKS | 49 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-07-17 | RANDY EUGENE STEWART | 60 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-06-26 | JUSTIN WAYMON HOLLINGSWORTH | 43 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-02-04 | David Woods | — | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-09-27 | TAYLOR ANTHONY HUNT | 29 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-07-23 | SHAWN REMAR JOHNSON | 34 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2023-12-06 | RANDALL HENRY BAKER | 38 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2023-08-15 | WILLIAM JOSEPH SMILEY | 41 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2023-03-21 | BRADLEY LYLE WEITZEL | 40 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2022-04-24 | CALEB SEXTON | 21 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2022-04-07 | TIMOTHY BRENT JENKINS | 22 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-06-12 | JEREMY LASEAN WALTON | 31 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-05-22 | MICHAEL GLENN MCKEE | 59 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-03-17 | CHAD WALKER JETER | 43 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
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