Griner, Eric Austin

Tenure Summary

Eric Austin Griner has worked for the Georgia Department of Corrections since at least 2010, spending roughly thirteen years as a line officer and sergeant at Ware State Prison before moving into supervisory roles. He transferred to Bacon Transitional Center in 2023 as a Correctional Lieutenant and was promoted to Assistant Superintendent there in October 2025. GPS records show one death attributed to a facility during Griner's unit-supervisor tenure — that of Lannis Adams, 62, at Bacon Transitional Center on June 3, 2024 — and no lawsuits name him as a defendant. His years as a sergeant at Ware State Prison, however, overlapped with one of the most violent periods in that facility's documented history.

---

What Happened on Their Watch

Ware State Prison — Correctional Officer / Sergeant (2010–2022)

Griner held staff-tier positions at Ware State Prison across most of this period and is not identified in GPS records as a facility leader there; accountability for facility-level decisions rested with others. Nonetheless, his sergeant years (2019–2022) coincided with a documented surge of lethal violence at the prison. GPS records and GDC incident data show ten inmates were killed at Ware between July 2020 and August 2024, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. During Griner's sergeant tenure specifically, the following deaths are recorded: Robert Lee Wilson III, 31, died July 17, 2020, from multiple stab wounds — GDC incident data show 16 other inmates were involved; Christopher Arnett Rawls, 32, died September 5, 2020, by strangulation; Christopher Eli Gresham, 39, died September 30, 2021, from stab wounds, with three other inmates listed as involved; Kyle Anthony Strother, 31, died June 5, 2022, from a stab wound to the chest; and Va'Darian LaVianta Carr, 26, died September 18, 2022, from stab wounds to the chest and back. On August 1, 2020 — weeks after Wilson's death — malfunctioning cell doors allowed inmates to exit their rooms; GDC records show two guards were taken hostage, one was beaten and stabbed, hundreds of inmates ransacked the facility, 33 homemade weapons were recovered, 55 security staff were directly involved, and a mass employee exodus followed. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that GDC publicly described this event as a mere "disturbance," while internal records documented hostage-taking, escape attempts, assaults, and use of force. Separately, Narissa Wright alleges, per Georgia Public Broadcasting, that no counts or welfare checks were conducted at Ware, allowing her son's body to go undiscovered for days. GPS relay-detected reports from 2026 allege ongoing stabbings, gang-related violence involving Gangster Disciples and Bloods, and lockdown conditions at Ware — after Griner had already departed.

Bacon Transitional Center — Correctional Lieutenant (2023–October 2025); Assistant Superintendent (October 2025–present)

GPS records attribute one death to Bacon Transitional Center during Griner's lieutenant tenure: Lannis Adams, 62, died June 3, 2024. The cause category is recorded as code 6; no further details or notes appear in GPS records. No lawsuits name Griner in connection with this death or any other matter.

---

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — reporting on Ware State Prison homicides (July 2020–August 2024) and GDC transparency/public-statement discrepancy regarding the August 1, 2020 incident
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — allegation by Narissa Wright regarding absence of counts and welfare checks at Ware State Prison; DOJ deliberate-indifference reporting (October 2024)
• GPS records / GDC incident data — deaths of Robert Lee Wilson III, Christopher Arnett Rawls, Christopher Eli Gresham, Kyle Anthony Strother, Va'Darian LaVianta Carr, Lannis Adams; August 1, 2020 mass disturbance details
• GPS Relay Bot AI classifications — unattributed allegations of stabbings, gang violence, and lockdowns at Ware State Prison (April 2026)

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.