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Johnson, Curtis Tyrone
Status: active
Profile written July 12, 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
Curtis Tyrone Johnson’s career with the Georgia Department of Corrections spans two decades, beginning in 2005 as a Tactical Squad member at Autry State Prison and progressing through custody, tactical, and counseling roles, including several years as a correctional lieutenant and a behavioral health counselor. In January 2025 he was elevated to Deputy Warden at Calhoun State Prison, and four months later assumed the post of Deputy Warden of Security — a facility-leadership role he still holds. GPS records attribute eight deaths to Calhoun State Prison during Johnson’s tenure as a deputy warden, from January 2025 through May 2026. None of his earlier positions — counselor, sergeant, or lieutenant — are linked to any facility-leader deaths in the GPS database. The deaths at Calhoun occurred amid a cascade of allegations about violence, neglect, and accountability failures that drew a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the state’s prison system, with Calhoun State Prison repeatedly cited in federal findings and media reports.What happened on their watch
Calhoun State Prison — Deputy Warden / Deputy Warden of Security (January 2025–present) The eight deaths on Johnson’s watch at Calhoun began on January 6, 2025, when Charles Owens died from a ruptured abdominal aneurysm. On January 19, Theodore Roundtree was killed; a Calhoun County death certificate obtained by GPS lists the manner as homicide, caused by sharp-force abdominal trauma. Gary Bernard Duncan died on May 4, and Tyler Jackson on June 28 — both classified under cause category 6 (cause not publicly detailed by GDC). On September 25, Thomas Haugabook died from an intracranial hemorrhage ruled natural. A December 21 homicide followed: Matthew Len Nutt, 37, died of blunt-force trauma after being assaulted by another individual, according to the coroner. Two additional deaths occurred in 2026: Jimmy McMullen, 67, who had long battled cancer, died of pancreatic cancer on January 28; and Freddie Lee Patterson, 51, died on May 13 under cause category 6. In total, at least two of the eight deaths were homicides, two were natural, and four lack public cause details.While Johnson’s leadership post is recent, Calhoun State Prison was already under intense scrutiny. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation found that staff at the prison failed to follow housing-assignment procedures, a failure that contributed to a 2022 cellmate homicide (a finding that pre-dates Johnson’s tenure). WALB reported that federal investigators documented the 2023 death of an incarcerated person from dehydration after staff allegedly shut off his water and withheld meals — an incident that occurred before Johnson’s arrival on the command staff. During Johnson’s own term, additional allegations of violence surfaced. GPS relays of internal incident reports documented a stabbing of an orderly in April 2026, and a separate incident the same month in which an incarcerated person was reportedly stabbed and set on fire before being airlifted for treatment. In early 2026, the facility carried out a mass transfer of 87 men serving life sentences from the medium-security prison to close-security institutions — a move suggesting possible security realignment.
The period also saw major technological and legal developments. A statewide Managed Access System designed to block contraband cellphones was installed at Calhoun in mid-2025, while Johnson was deputy warden, part of a $50 million GDC initiative. That system came after two incarcerated men were convicted of running a $464,920 nationwide wire-fraud scheme from the prison using contraband phones. None of the deaths recorded at Calhoun under Johnson have generated lawsuits naming him as a defendant, per GPS court records.
Sources
- Calhoun County, GA death certificates for Matthew Len Nutt (2025), Theodore Roundtree (2025), Thomas Haugabook (2025), and Jimmy McMullen (2026), obtained via GPS open-records requests
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — reporting on DOJ investigation findings at Calhoun State Prison (staff failure to follow housing procedures; 2022 cellmate homicide)
- WALB — reporting on DOJ findings concerning a 2023 dehydration death at Calhoun, systemic underreporting of homicides, and delayed emergency medical responses
- GPS incident-report relay (April 2026) — stabbings and an assault by fire at Calhoun State Prison
- GPS intel-event records — mass lifer transfers from Calhoun State Prison (2026), Managed Access System deployment (2025), and wire-fraud convictions (2026)
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy Warden of Security | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | 2025-05-16 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR SPV | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 3 | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 3 | 2021-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2017-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 3 | ALBANY TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| BEH HEALTH/COUNSELOR (WL) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Counselor | 2014-01-01 → 2014-12-31 | |
| CERT Team Sergeant | 2013-01-01 → 2013-12-31 | |
| Sergeant | 2007-01-01 → 2007-12-31 | |
| Tactical (TACT) Squad | AUTRY STATE PRISON | 2005-01-01 → 2005-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:14-cv-00253 | GAND | 2014-01-28 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
8 people died at facilities under Johnson, Curtis Tyrone's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-13 | FREDDIE LEE PATTERSON | 51 | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2026-01-28 | JIMMY MCMULLEN | 67 | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-12-21 | MATTHEW LEN NUTT | 37 | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-09-25 | THOMAS HAUGABOOK | 67 | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-06-28 | TYLER JACKSON | 30 | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-05-04 | GARY BERNARD DUNCAN | 67 | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-01-19 | Theodore Roundtree | — | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-01-06 | Charles Owens | — | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
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