Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Stokes, David
Stokes, David
Status: active
Profile written August 2, 2026
Salary
$101,142
2025 · state payroll
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
David Stokes began his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections as a Correctional Officer at Coastal State Prison in 2013, rising through the ranks of sergeant and lieutenant before being appointed to facility leadership. After a stint as a Correctional Assistant Superintendent in 2023, he became the Correctional Superintendent at the Long Unit in January 2024, later serving as Warden at Central State Prison from December 2024 through May 2026. In June 2026, Commissioner Tyrone Oliver reassigned Stokes to Coastal State Prison as Warden, where he remains. During his tenure in these leadership posts, GPS records attribute a total of 14 deaths to facilities under his command — 1 at the Long Unit, 11 at Central State Prison, and 2 at Coastal State Prison within 25 days of his arrival. A single lawsuit, Pugh v. Fleming, was filed against him in 2024 and quickly terminated without a public payout.What happened on their watch
Long Unit (2024‑01‑01 to 2024‑12‑15)
Stokes served as Correctional Superintendent at the Long Unit from January through mid‑December 2024. One death is recorded during this period: Cameron Ryan Paquette, 43, collapsed while on a GDC work detail at a county park on February 13, 2024. The Long County Coroner’s investigation and a GBI autopsy determined the cause was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; the manner of death was ruled natural. The coroner’s report notes that CPR was initiated by a supervising officer and another inmate before EMS transported Paquette to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No allegations or lawsuits specific to this death are known.Central State Prison (2024‑12‑16 to 2026‑05‑31)
As Warden at Central State Prison, Stokes oversaw a period with 11 deaths over roughly 18 months. The deaths, spanning December 2024 to April 2026, included a mix of unclassified causes, a drug overdose, and one confirmed suicide. Among them:- Brandon Jamal Pool (38) died on December 29, 2024, cause category unknown.
- Matthew Maddox (age not listed) died January 28, 2025; the GDC’s own mortality data lists cause as cerebral herniation due to extremely high blood pressure.
- Lamancha Ware (48), Travis Jamal Gaither (41), Ricky D. Ring (56), James Theodore Miller (64), Ronald Goss (60), and Michael Lane Brooks (77) all died with causes classified as “other/unknown” in GPS records.
- Ricky Eugene Rogers (68) and Joseph Hamm (36) died of apparent drug overdoses; a GPS report on Hamm describes an accidental opiate overdose after a balloon of drugs burst in his mouth during a late‑night cell transfer.
- Miguel Angel Duran (44) died March 1, 2026, in the segregation unit; an AI‑classified Telegram relay identified the death as a suicide.
While Stokes was Warden, several events drew scrutiny to Central State. According to 13WMAZ, three former guards were accused in March 2025 of beating an inmate and attempting a cover‑up; a guard was also charged in December 2025 with falsely imprisoning four DFCS employees over a child‑support dispute. The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution, citing a DOJ report, noted that three prisoners were criminally charged in the 2023 stabbing death of Hollis Alan Bryant at the same facility, and that another incarcerated man, Marquis L. Johnson, died after a barbershop stabbing. State liability payouts for incidents at Central State predating Stokes’s tenure include $100,000 for Christopher Stewart (2019) and $22,000 for Joshua David Turk (2022), but no settlements from his warden period are recorded.
Coastal State Prison (2026‑06‑01 to present)
Stokes assumed the Wardenship of Coastal State Prison on June 1, 2026. Within four weeks, two deaths were recorded: Ronald Tyrone Waller (57) on June 10 and Bobby Clinton Biggs (77) on June 25, both with unclassified causes. Stokes arrived at a facility already the subject of serious allegations. Workers and inmates had reported a “human rights crisis” to WTOC in February 2026, describing rampant violence, withheld food, prolonged lockdowns without shower access, black mold, and rodent infestations. A health inspection in April 2026 gave the kitchen a failing score of 70, citing live roaches, a dead mouse in mop water, and unsafe food temperatures. An employee was arrested in January 2026 for trading with inmates without consent. These conditions predated Stokes but continued under his command, and no corrective actions have been publicly recorded during his brief tenure.Litigation
- Pugh v. Fleming, No. 1:24‑cv‑02733 (GAND, filed June 21, 2024, terminated August 9, 2024). The case named David Stokes as a defendant. It was closed without a recorded settlement or award.
Sources
- GPS intelligence records — facility‑level death logs, personnel position history, and settlement ledger entries derived from GA DOAS open‑records releases.
- Long County Coroner death‑investigation report (case 91‑010‑24) and GBI autopsy (case 2024‑6000957) — obtained via open‑records request.
- Georgia Department of Public Health — Coastal State Prison health inspection report (April 23, 2026).
- WTOC investigation — “Workers, inmates report human rights crisis at Coastal State Prison” (February 12, 2026).
- 13WMAZ — reporting on guard misconduct and inmate violence at Central State Prison.
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — DOJ‑cited homicide list, including deaths at Central State Prison.
- CourtListener — docket for Pugh v. Fleming.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Warden | COASTAL STATE PRISON | 2026-06-01 → present |
| WARDEN 1 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| Warden | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2024-12-16 → 2026-05-31 |
| Superintendent | LONG UNIT | 2024-02-16 → 2024-06-15 |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | LONG UNIT | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-15 |
| CORRECTIONAL ASST. SUPT | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2020-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | LONG UNIT | 2019-01-01 → 2019-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2017-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | COASTAL STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER(WL) | COASTAL STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | COASTAL STATE PRISON | 2013-01-01 → 2013-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:24-cv-04843 | GAND | 2024-10-23 | pending |
| 1:24-cv-02733 | GAND | 2024-06-21 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
14 people died at facilities under Stokes, David's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-25 | BOBBY CLINTON BIGGS | 77 | COASTAL STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2026-06-10 | RONALD TYRONE WALLER | 57 | COASTAL STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2026-04-19 | MICHAEL LANE BROOKS | 77 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2026-03-01 | MIGUEL ANGEL DURAN | 44 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2025-10-23 | RONALD GOSS | 60 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | WARDEN 1 |
| 2025-10-08 | JOSEPH HAMM | 36 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | WARDEN 1 |
| 2025-09-22 | JAMES THEODORE MILLER | 64 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | WARDEN 1 |
| 2025-07-16 | RICKY D RING | 56 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | WARDEN 1 |
| 2025-04-21 | TRAVIS JAMAL GAITHER | 41 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | WARDEN 1 |
| 2025-04-21 | RICKY EUGENE ROGERS | 68 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | WARDEN 1 |
| 2025-03-02 | LAMANCHA WARE | 48 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | WARDEN 1 |
| 2025-01-28 | Matthew Maddox | — | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | WARDEN 1 |
| 2024-12-29 | BRANDON JAMAL POOL | 38 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2024-02-13 | CAMERON RYAN PAQUETTE | 43 | LONG UNIT | CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT |
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