Stokes, David

Tenure Summary

David Stokes's GDC career began as a correctional officer at Coastal State Prison in 2013, advancing through sergeant (2016) and lieutenant posts (2017–2022) before moving into facility command: Assistant Superintendent at Long Unit (2019 – Feb 15, 2024), Correctional Superintendent/Superintendent at Long Unit (2024), Warden at Central State Prison (Dec 16, 2024 – May 31, 2026), and — effective June 1, 2026, per a reassignment announced by Commissioner Tyrone Oliver — Warden back at Coastal State Prison, where he remains active.

GPS records attribute 18 deaths to facilities during his leadership tenures: 11 at Central State Prison, 5 at Coastal State Prison and 2 at Long Unit. One lawsuit naming Stokes as a defendant appears in court records and was terminated without a recorded settlement amount. Records tied to his Central State posting also include DOJ-linked homicide accounts, criminal charges against staff, and a family medical-neglect allegation.

What happened on their watch

Long Unit — Assistant Superintendent (2019 – Feb 15, 2024); Correctional Superintendent/Superintendent (Jan 2024 – Dec 15, 2024). Two deaths are attributed to this facility's tenures: Charles E. Daniels, 51, on Aug 24, 2020, recorded under Stokes's role as Assistant Superintendent, and Cameron Ryan Paquette, 43, on Feb 13, 2024, recorded while he held the top Long Unit post. Both are classified in the same cause category (category 1) in the records. Stokes also held lieutenant duties at Long Unit in 2019 per the positions record; those periods are listed here only as role and dates.

Central State Prison — Warden (Dec 16, 2024 – May 31, 2026); recorded as "Warden 1" in 2025. Eleven deaths are attributed here, the largest cluster on his watch: Brandon Jamal Pool, 38 (Dec 29, 2024); Matthew Maddox (Jan 28, 2025); Lamancha Ware, 48 (Mar 2, 2025); Travis Jamal Gaither, 41, and Ricky Eugene Rogers, 68 (both Apr 21, 2025); Ricky D. Ring, 56 (Jul 16, 2025); James Theodore Miller, 64 (Sep 22, 2025); Joseph Hamm, 36 (Oct 8, 2025); Ronald Goss, 60 (Oct 23, 2025); Miguel Angel Duran, 44 (Mar 1, 2026); and Michael Lane Brooks, 77 (Apr 19, 2026). Ages span 36 to 77. Eight of the eleven are recorded under cause category 6, two under category 5, and one under category 2. Separately, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's reporting on the DOJ report, Marquis L. Johnson was stabbed in the prison barbershop on December 8 and died after cardiac arrest secondary to the stabbing, and Hollis Alan Bryant was stabbed to death, with three other prisoners criminally charged. 13WMAZ reported that a Central State guard faced charges after falsely imprisoning four DFCS employees in December 2025 over child support payments, and that three former guards were accused of beating an inmate and attempting a cover-up in March 2025. A GPS case submission dated Apr 13, 2026 alleges that an incarcerated person at Central State showing stroke symptoms was denied timely medical attention. Event records during this tenure also note a June 2025 stabbing with three inmates charged and a January 2026 inmate fight that hospitalized one person, which GDC said it was investigating.

Coastal State Prison — Warden (June 1, 2026 – present). Five deaths are attributed in roughly three months after his reassignment: Ronald Tyrone Waller, 57 (Jun 10, 2026); Bobby Clinton Biggs, 77 (Jun 25, 2026); Corey Marcel Mitchell, 50 (Jul 15, 2026); Phillip Alexander George, 66 (Jul 16, 2026); and Sheldon Leroy Burns (Aug 30, 2026). Four are recorded under cause category 6 and one under category 1. Stokes previously served at Coastal as a correctional officer, sergeant and sergeant-level staff between 2013 and 2016. A subsequent personnel line dated Aug 27, 2026 again lists him as a Warden at Coastal.

Litigation

• Pugh v. Fleming, No. 1:24-cv-02733 (N.D. Ga.), filed June 21, 2024, terminated Aug 9, 2024; Stokes is listed as a defendant (per the CourtListener docket). No outcome amount is recorded. His positions record places him as Superintendent at Long Unit on the filing date.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — homicide list drawing on DOJ findings (Marquis L. Johnson, Hollis Alan Bryant), during Stokes's Central State tenure
• U.S. Department of Justice report, as cited by the AJC — stabbing deaths at Central State Prison
• 13WMAZ — guard charged with false imprisonment; three former guards accused of beating an inmate, Central State
• GPS case submission (Apr 13, 2026) — alleged delayed medical response to stroke symptoms at Central State
• CourtListener docket — Pugh v. Fleming, 1:24-cv-02733 (N.D. Ga.)
• Georgia Department of Corrections personnel and position records; commissioner's reassignment announcement (June 1, 2026); GPS death records by facility and tenure

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.