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Swinford, Jonathan D
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 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
Jonathan D. Swinford began his Georgia Department of Corrections career in 2015 as a correctional officer and rose through the ranks, serving as lieutenant, unit manager, and eventually deputy warden. His only facility-leadership posting came in January 2024, when he took the role of Deputy Warden at Hays State Prison. GPS records attribute 17 deaths to Hays State Prison during Swinford’s tenure in that facility-level role. Two civil lawsuits naming Swinford as a defendant were filed in connection with conditions at the prison; one remains pending and one was terminated without a recorded payout.What happened on their watch
Hays State Prison — Deputy Warden (January 2024 – December 2025) GPS records document 17 deaths at Hays State Prison while Swinford held the deputy warden post. The deaths span from March 2024 through at least April 2026 and include multiple homicides, according to investigation reports and inmate accounts. Among the deceased: Jeremy Edward Price, 36, died in March 2024 from stab wounds to the neck and chest, per an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation; Freddie Lee Talley III, 31, was killed by a stab wound to the chest in May 2024, also documented by the AJC. In October 2024, Lawrence L. Williams, 30, was stabbed numerous times by two individuals reportedly affiliated with the Bloods, according to GPS’s Telegram relay monitoring. James Cannon, 48, was found unresponsive in his cell in October 2025; Coosa Valley News reported foul play was suspected and a cellmate was under investigation. Melvin Gay Johnson, 35, died in January 2026 after what inmate Telegram reports described as a three-day beating inside a dorm—he was allegedly warned that he should not be returned to that housing unit, but staff placed him back anyway; he was found brain-dead and later removed from life support. An individual identified only as “KG” was killed during an official inspection in April 2026, and Telegram sources reported two other victims with neck wounds in the same incident, suggesting multiple homicides.Other deaths during Swinford’s tenure include those of Barcel Roylee Ward, Tommy Joe Strickland, Ralph Carter, Joey Griffin, Thomas Johnson, Mackendy Pierrette, Keith Johnson, Timothy Darmofal, Theron Morrell Hendrix, and Raymont Savion Farley (listed as natural causes). The cause categories in GPS records show a mix of homicides, natural deaths, and causes that remain unclassified.
Allegations of systemic disorder at Hays surfaced in news and watchdog reports contemporaneous with Swinford’s tenure. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Tammy Price, the mother of Jeremy Price, alleged the GDC deliberately omits manner-of-death information to mask its failure to protect prisoners. The same newspaper reported that a former Hays guard was sentenced for smuggling methamphetamine and other contraband into the prison for over a month, and that Lieutenant Lakeshia Thomas was convicted for arranging to smuggle marijuana for a gang member. GPS’s own Telegram monitoring flagged multiple inmate reports of fatal stabbings and assaults, including the April 2026 attack on “KG.” A 2017 settlement of $650,000 for the death of Charles Lee Broady Jr., who was moved to Hays after a gang attack and later died, predates Swinford’s command but reflects a history of violence at the facility.
Litigation
- Mckenzie v. Oliver, No. 4:26-cv-00108 (GAND), filed April 28, 2026; status: pending.
- Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order, No. 1:25-cv-03191 (GAND), filed June 6, 2025, terminated March 30, 2026; no reported settlement amount.
Sources
- GPS personnel and death-attribution records — 17 deaths at Hays State Prison during Jonathan D. Swinford’s tenure as Deputy Warden
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — investigation into withheld manner-of-death information; reporting on homicides of Jeremy Price and Freddie Lee Talley III; reporting on staff smuggling (former guard methamphetamine case, Lieutenant Lakeshia Thomas marijuana smuggling conviction)
- Coosa Valley News — report on suspicious death of James Cannon at Hays SP, cellmate investigated
- GPS Telegram relay monitoring — reports on Melvin Johnson beating, “KG” homicide and multiple victims
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (GAND) — dockets for Mckenzie v. Oliver and Daker v. Oliver
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | HAYS STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2022-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL OFFICER 2 | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL OFC 2 | 2019-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2016-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:26-cv-00108 | GAND | 2026-04-28 | pending |
| 1:25-cv-03191 | GAND | 2025-06-06 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
17 people died at facilities under Swinford, Jonathan D's leadership.
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