Ward, Alicia Necole

Tenure Summary

Alicia Necole Ward has held multiple positions with the Georgia Department of Corrections since 2014, beginning as a Correctional Officer at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, then Field Training Officer at Wilcox State Prison in 2016, Correctional Sergeant at Georgia Diagnostic from 2017 through 2019, Correctional Lieutenant from 2020 through 2022, and Correctional Unit Manager in 2023–2024. GPS position records show she became Deputy Warden of Administration at Dodge State Prison on Dec. 1, 2024, and later list her as Deputy Warden at Dodge in 2025 and on Aug. 27, 2026.

GPS records attribute three deaths to Dodge State Prison during Ward’s leadership tenure there. The decedents are Sotero Uriquiza-Hernandez, 51; Joseph Chatfield, 62; and Warren Peacock, 70. A State of Georgia settlement ledger recorded a $16,000 liability payout to Kimyania Smith tied to a 2025 Dodge State Prison incident while Ward was posted at the facility; the settlement entry does not name Ward as a defendant. GPS records show no lawsuits naming Ward as a defendant.

What happened on their watch

Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (2014; 2017–2019)

Ward held non-leadership roles as a Correctional Officer in 2014 and as a Correctional Sergeant from 2017 through 2019. GPS records attribute no deaths to Ward’s postings there. The provided intel reports about Georgia Diagnostic largely concern later years and are not tied to Ward’s positions.

Wilcox State Prison (2016; 2023)

Ward appears as a Field Training Officer at Wilcox in 2016 and as a Correctional Unit Manager on Nov. 22, 2023. GPS records attribute no deaths to these postings. Later intel reporting on Wilcox violence, lockdowns, and staff conduct is dated after those records and is not connected to Ward’s time there.

Dodge State Prison (Dec. 1, 2024 – present)

Ward became Deputy Warden of Administration on Dec. 1, 2024, and is listed as Deputy Warden in 2025 and 2026. During this leadership posting, GPS records attribute three deaths to the facility:

• Sotero Uriquiza-Hernandez, 51, died May 20, 2025. Per Dodge County Coroner records, he had been working out, became agitated, reported low back pain, then collapsed; he was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. The records note he was on multiple antihypertensives and an autopsy was performed.
• Joseph Chatfield, 62, died June 13, 2025. According to coroner records, he was last known alive at 6:45 a.m. and pronounced at 9:20 a.m. Only an external examination was performed; toxicology was ordered, and the coroner left the cause blank pending a final cause.
• Warren Peacock, 70, died April 28, 2026. Coroner records state the death was witnessed and he was pronounced at 10:43 p.m., with chronic hypertension, kidney disease, COPD, and diabetes noted. The body was released to the GBI with autopsy and toxicology pending. A later GBI Open Records response said no responsive records could be located, which GPS notes describe as most likely an intake/backlog timing issue.

GPS records classify these deaths under cause categories 1, 6, and 5, respectively. The records do not provide final causes of death for all three. During the same Dodge posting, a GA DOAS settlement ledger entry dated May 26, 2025, recorded a $16,000 State of Georgia liability payout to Kimyania Smith tied to a 2025 Dodge State Prison incident; the entry does not name Ward.

Sources

• GPS personnel and mortality records — Ward position history; attributed deaths by facility; litigation index with no defendant cases naming Ward.
• Dodge County Coroner open records response, June 30, 2026 — death details for Sotero Uriquiza-Hernandez, Joseph Chatfield, and Warren Peacock.
• GBI DOFS Open Records response R000142-070426, Aug. 1, 2026 — unable to locate responsive records for Warren Peacock.
• GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger (Open Records) — $16,000 payout to Kimyania Smith tied to a 2025 Dodge State Prison incident.

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Sep 6, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.