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Goettie, Michael L
Status: active
Profile written June 7, 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 rose through the ranks of the Georgia Department of Corrections, beginning as a corrections officer in 2015 and advancing to lieutenant, unit manager, and ultimately deputy warden at Rogers State Prison, a post he has held since 2021. As a facility-level deputy, Goettie’s leadership tenure is tied to a total of 14 in-custody deaths, all at Rogers State Prison, according to GPS records. While in that role, he was named as a defendant in one federal lawsuit, and internal intelligence reports document a series of serious allegations and incidents at the facility, including a guard stabbing and a contested death ruled a suicide but widely alleged to be a homicide.What happened on their watch
Goettie’s accountability as deputy warden at Rogers State Prison spans 2021 to at least early 2026, during which GPS records attribute 14 deaths to the facility. The deaths include natural causes, a confirmed suicide, and a large cluster classified under cause category 6—a designation that GPS uses when the cause is unspecified or under review.Per coroner records obtained by GPS, Randy Stewart, 60, died in July 2025 of E. coli peritonitis from a perforated duodenum, with contributing liver disease and diabetes; the manner was natural. David Woods (name discrepancy in records, spelled “Wood”) died in February 2025 of coronary and hypertensive heart disease complicated by viral infection, also ruled natural. Justin Hollingsworth, 43, was found hanging in his one-man cell in June 2025; a limited autopsy confirmed suicide by ligature hanging, and GBI investigation documentation noted mental health concerns.
The remaining 11 deaths during Goettie’s tenure carry cause category 6. One of those decedents, Taylor Anthony Hunt, 29, died in September 2024. GPS intelligence records contain repeated, unverified allegations that Hunt’s death was a homicide staged to appear as a suicide. Those reports describe physical evidence—ligature marks, broken bones, bruises, puncture wounds, and stab wounds—that allegedly contradicted an initial GDC suicide determination. While the official cause of death remains category 6 in GPS’s database, the multiple intelligence entries underscore persistent controversy around the case.
Additional incidents logged at Rogers during Goettie’s watch include a guard stabbing allegation and a 2025 segregation complaint by Jason Palmer, who reported being denied adequate food, phone access, and emergency-contact registration while held at the facility.
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 in this federal action, which sought to impose filing restrictions on a prolific litigant. The case closed without a recorded damages award.
Sources
- GPS personnel records and internal death/incident databases — career progression, death counts, facility attributions, and cause-category classifications for Rogers State Prison
- Coroner records (Tattnall County) obtained by GPS — death certificate and investigative details for Randy Stewart, Justin Hollingsworth, and David Woods
- GPS intelligence reports — multiple allegations surrounding the Taylor Hunt death, guard stabbing incident, and Jason Palmer segregation complaint
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia docket via CourtListener — lawsuit filing and termination in Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order
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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