Thomas, Micheal

Tenure Summary

Micheal Thomas worked his way up through counseling roles — Counselor at Macon State Prison in 2010, Chief Counselor at Central State Prison in 2013, and a behavioral-health counselor posting in 2015 — before moving into facility administration as Deputy Warden from 2016 through 2021, a period for which these records do not name a facility. He became Correctional Superintendent at McEver Probation Detention Center in 2022, then Warden at Dodge State Prison from January 2024 until July 15, 2025 (records also show him simultaneously listed as Superintendent at McEver in January–February 2024), and has held the Warden post at Wilcox State Prison from 2025 to the present.

GPS's death registry attributes 12 deaths to his facility-leadership tenures: nine at Wilcox State Prison, two at Dodge State Prison, and one at McEver Probation Detention Center. A federal lawsuit naming him as defendant is pending, and a $16,000 state liability payout is recorded against Dodge State Prison during his tenure there.

What happened on their watch

McEver Probation Detention Center — Correctional Superintendent (2022; again January–February 2024). One death is attributed to this tenure: Tyrone Quimby died August 20, 2022, at McEver Probation Detention Center; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 63.

Dodge State Prison — Warden (January 2024 – July 15, 2025). Two deaths are attributed to this tenure. Sotero Uriquiza-Hernandez died May 20, 2025, at Dodge State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 51. Joseph Chatfield died June 13, 2025, at Dodge State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 62. Separately, the Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger (obtained through Open Records) records a $16,000 state liability payout tied to Dodge State Prison and a 2025 incident, listed under Kimyania Smith and dated May 26, 2025.

Wilcox State Prison — Warden (2025 – present). Nine deaths are attributed to this tenure. Collis Jr Welch died November 7, 2025, at Wilcox State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 55. Stacy Ray Bullard died November 8, 2025, at Wilcox State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 54. Willie Thomas Mosley died December 1, 2025, at Wilcox State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 63. Marcus Walker died January 10, 2026, at Wilcox State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 20. Deon Khalil Vanzyre died January 16, 2026, at Wilcox State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Suicide, age 28. Jeremy Cole Watson died March 9, 2026, at Wilcox State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 37. Earnest Sims died March 16, 2026, at Wilcox State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 44. Gary Dwayne Felver died June 15, 2026, at Wilcox State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 65. Maurice Antonio Brown died September 3, 2026, at Wilcox State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 36.

The pattern on the record is two overdose deaths on consecutive days in November 2025, four deaths in 2026 whose cause GPS lists as Unknown/Pending, and two homicides. Violence reports cluster in 2026: GPS intake records describe a March 8, 2026 gang fight after which nine people were hospitalized; stabbings and a lockdown around April 1, 2026; and another gang-related altercation with a lockdown on May 18, 2026. On September 3, 2026, an altercation involving multiple incarcerated people left Maurice Brown dead and several injured — GDC characterized the fight as gang-related, seven people were taken to hospitals including two airlifted, and the body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab; the GDC Office of Professional Standards opened an investigation and the prison was placed on lockdown September 4. GPS intake records also carry secondhand Telegram-group accounts of roughly 30 people stabbed or injured and up to seven airlifted, and a disputed report that a guard was stabbed. A further gang-related fight on September 18, 2026 killed one person and injured nine, and a separate report that day said the lockdown had lifted. A May 12, 2026 public Facebook post alleged that Wilcox repeatedly cut inmate movement to minimal staffing during on-clock senior staff gatherings and that annual issuance of hygiene items, undergarments and bedding had lapsed for roughly a year.

AJC reporting in September 2025, during this tenure, described the warden at Wilcox promising the family of Dominique Cole — killed at the prison that month — a follow-up call with details of his death that never came, and the prison failing to return his wallet and Social Security card; it also reported Cole's account that guards were tied to gangs. The same reporting noted DOJ findings that Georgia's gang-run prisons were riddled with regular violence and sexual assault, and that hundreds of GDC employees had been arrested and fired for smuggling contraband.

Litigation

• Goodwin v. Warden Micheal Thomas, No. 1:25-cv-01155 (GAND), filed March 4, 2025; status pending, with no outcome amount recorded. Filed while he held the Warden post at Dodge State Prison.

Sources

• GPS death registry — dates, facilities and causes for the 12 deaths listed above.
• Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger (Open Records) — $16,000 payout tied to Dodge State Prison, 2025.
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 16, 2025 — Wilcox death of Dominique Cole, family notifications, gang allegations, DOJ findings, contraband arrests.
• CourtListener docket — Goodwin v. Warden Micheal Thomas.
• GPS case submissions and Telegram-group intake reports — 2026 Wilcox fight, stabbing, lockdown and staffing/supply allegations.

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Nov 1, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.