Spann, James Clarence

Tenure Summary

James Clarence Spann's two-decade GDC career runs from counseling to the warden's office. GPS position records list him as a Counselor at Autry State Prison (2004), Chief Counselor at Calhoun State Prison (2009), and a behavioral-health counselor at Wilcox State Prison (2015) — staff and specialty postings. He then served as Deputy Warden at Wilcox (2016–2019) and at Autry (2020), Warden 1 at Burruss Correctional Training Center (2021–2022), Warden at Lee State Prison (Jan. 2023–Dec. 2024), and Warden at Ware State Prison from Jan. 1, 2024, continuing as Warden from Oct. 16, 2024, and as WARDEN 3 during 2025. GPS records list him as active.

GPS attributes 41 deaths to facilities while Spann held a posting there: 30 at Ware, eight at Autry, two at Lee, and one at Burruss. No lawsuit in the records names Spann as a defendant. Five state liability settlements totaling $1,420,242.29 were paid on Wilcox and Autry incidents during his deputy-warden years, per the Georgia DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger obtained through open records. The named decedents below come from GPS's capped, most-recent sample of death records; the facility totals are the authoritative counts.

What happened on their watch

Wilcox State Prison — Deputy Warden (2016–2019). No deaths are attributed to Wilcox in GPS's facility tally for this tenure. The DOAS ledger records four liability payouts on Wilcox incidents from 2016–2017 while Spann held the deputy-warden role: $750,000 (James Wheeler, incident 2017; ledger entry Oct. 29, 2017), $550,000 (Jimmy Lucero, 2016; June 29, 2016), $48,242.29 (Ricky Johnson, 2016; Oct. 12, 2016), and $2,000 (Jeffrey Ray, 2016; Oct. 31, 2016).

Autry State Prison — Deputy Warden (2020). Eight deaths are attributed at Autry; the sample names Cordell James Shipman (22), Darren Nicholas Wehrle (32), Mark Ramos (59), Dennis Lee Hammons (62), James Mitchell Blankenship (67), Willie J. Bell (68), Thomas Edward White (75), and Richard Office (80). The DOAS ledger records a $70,000 state payout tied to an Autry incident in 2020 (Susan Brown; ledger entry Feb. 27, 2020).

Burruss C.T.C. — Warden 1 (2021–2022). One death is attributed: Robert Carey Seymour, 58, recorded March 9, 2022.

Lee State Prison — Warden (Jan. 2023–Dec. 2024). Two deaths are attributed, both in early 2024: Christopher Aaron Godfrey (40, Jan. 16, 2024) and Daniel Emmett Ivey (26, Feb. 15, 2024). Position records list a Ware posting beginning Jan. 1, 2024, overlapping the tail of the Lee posting; GPS's death records assign both 2024 Lee deaths to the Warden role at Lee.

Ware State Prison — Warden/WARDEN 3 (Jan. 2024–present). Ware accounts for 30 of the 41 attributed deaths; ages among the named decedents in the sample run from 25 to 85. Two carry detailed autopsy narratives. Ted Daniel Karras (67, Dec. 20, 2024): GPS classifies the death as a homicide, while the GBI certified the manner as undetermined; per the public narrative, a complete autopsy found evidence of neck compression and the pathologist wrote that "homicidal strangulation cannot be excluded." Charles Johnny Rice (62, Apr. 27, 2025): GPS classifies the death as a homicide, the GBI certified the manner as undetermined, and the autopsy found asphyxia while he shared a cell, with the pathologist unable to determine "a suicidal hanging or a homicidal smothering or strangulation with postmortem positioning of the body." Kojack Junior Thomas (27, May 31, 2026) is recorded as the subject of a potential-homicide investigation by GDC's Office of Professional Standards, with his body sent to the GBI crime lab (June 2, 2026).

Allegations logged during Spann's Ware leadership include stabbing incidents (April 8, 20 and 27, 2026, one involving transport to outside hospitals), gang-related violence with at least one hospital transport (March 15, 2026), and a July 12, 2025 event titled "Ware State Prison riot and subsequent punitive lockdown." September 2026 entries record a sheriff's office investigation into a July traffic stop and contraband seizure believed destined for Ware. An AJC report dated Jan. 21, 2025 states ten inmates were killed at Ware between July 2020 and August 2024, with multiple inmates involved in several homicides according to GDC incident reports. A separate AJC item dated Jan. 28, 2026 concerns GDC's public framing of an Aug. 1, 2020 Ware incident as a "disturbance" while internal records describe hostage-taking, escape attempts, assaults and use of force — an incident predating his Ware posting. A federal ruling dated March 17, 2026, tagged to Ware in GPS records, concerned Georgia's parole process for juvenile lifers.

Sources

• Georgia Department of Corrections position and salary records (2004–2025) — Spann's postings at Autry, Calhoun, Wilcox, Burruss and Lee
• Georgia DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger (open records) — five liability payouts tied to Wilcox (2016–2017) and Autry (2020)
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Ware homicide count, July 2020–August 2024 (Jan. 21, 2025); Ware "disturbance" characterization (Jan. 28, 2026)
• GPS case-submission records — 2026 Ware stabbing, gang-violence and lockdown allegations
• GDC Office of Professional Standards / GBI crime lab referral — Thomas death investigation, June 2, 2026
• GPS facility event records — Ware riot and lockdown (July 12, 2025); Butts County contraband investigation (Sept. 6, 2026); Buttrum parole ruling (March 17, 2026)

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Sep 23, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.