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Owens, Robert
Status: active
Profile written August 2, 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
Robert Owens has served in the Georgia Department of Corrections since 2015, advancing from Correctional Officer through Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Unit Manager before being appointed Deputy Warden at Metro Reentry Facility in DeKalb County in 2024. His only facility‑level leadership posting is the deputy warden role, which he continues to hold. During that tenure, GPS records attribute 18 deaths at Metro Reentry, all occurring between January 2024 and April 2026. No lawsuits naming Owens as a defendant have been identified in court records, and no intel reports or news mentions directly link him to any misconduct. An investigation by the GDC Office of Professional Standards and the GBI into the death of another individual, Silas Westbrook, was opened in January 2026 at the same facility.What happened on their watch
Metro Reentry Facility (Deputy Warden, 2024–present)
The 18 deaths attributed to Owens’s watch at Metro Reentry are heavily concentrated among older men with multiple chronic illnesses, and the majority of deaths with a known manner are classified as natural. According to case notes from the DeKalb County Medical Examiner added via ORR intake, at least twelve of the deaths involved cardiac events, advanced cancers, end‑stage liver failure, or complications of diabetes and kidney disease. Several individuals were on hospice care or had “do not resuscitate” orders, among them Larry Jones, 76, who died November 1, 2024 with end‑stage lung cancer, and Keithal Greatheart, 63, who died June 19, 2024 from lung cancer while under hospice. The medical examiner’s notes for Harden Millard Walker, 70, state he had been given about a month to live and was arrested while en route to hospice; he died March 30, 2025 from cardiac causes tied to end‑stage liver failure.Other natural deaths include Robert Rodriguez Johnson, 46, who had a pacemaker and history of strokes, and Stephen Mott, 52, whose cellmates reported he could not walk without losing breath and had not been compliant with medication for about two weeks before his death from a pulmonary embolism. In a departure from the pattern of natural death, the medical examiner ruled Timothy Crumbley’s death an accident: the 65‑year‑old suffered a brain hemorrhage after a fall at the facility on September 30, 2024, and died five days later.
Five deaths are recorded under a cause category that does not provide a publicly specified manner or cause in GPS records. Those decedents include Joshua Jean Hanks, 36, and Lakeith Shunta Bonner, 40—both considerably younger than most of the others who died during this period.
Additionally, while not counted among the 18 attributed deaths, an intel event logged by GPS shows that the GDC Office of Professional Standards and the GBI opened an investigation into the death of inmate Silas Westbrook at Metro Reentry on January 17, 2026. Westbrook had been transferred from Washington State Prison after a disturbance and suffered a medical emergency upon arrival, leading to his death. The outcome of that investigation has not been made public.
Litigation
No lawsuits naming Robert Owens as a defendant were identified in GPS court records.Sources
- GPS personnel and death records: Robert Owens profile, positions, and attributed deaths at Metro Reentry Facility.
- DeKalb County Medical Examiner case notes (ORR intake) for decedents including Larry Jones, Harden Millard Walker, Stephen Mott, Timothy Crumbley, and others.
- GPS intel events: investigations into the death of Silas Westbrook at Metro Reentry Facility (January 2026).
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | METRO REENTRY FACILITY | 2024-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2021-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL CAPTAIN | 2019-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2017-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:23-cv-01109 | GAND | 2023-03-14 | pending |
| 6:14-cv-00047 | GASD | 2014-05-19 | terminated |
| 6:13-cv-00115 | GASD | 2013-12-30 | terminated |
| 1:12-cv-00327 | GAND | 2012-01-31 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
18 people died at facilities under Owens, Robert's leadership.
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