West, Sandi R

Tenure Summary

Sandi R. West's GDC record runs from 2003 to 2026. She began as a Sergeant at Smith State Prison (2003), returned there as Lieutenant (2011) and CSM Correctional Lieutenant (2016), and served as CSM Correctional Unit Manager at Smith (2017) and Montgomery State Prison (2018). She was Deputy Warden at Montgomery (2019) and at the Women's Probation Detention Center (2020), then Correctional Superintendent for 2021–2023 — the salary records for those years list no facility — with a single-day superintendent entry at the Women's PDC dated 2023-11-22. From 2024-01-01 she was Warden at Rogers State Prison, recorded as "WARDEN 1" through 2024-06-15 and as "Warden" from 2024-06-16 to 2026-05-31.

GPS records attribute six deaths to her leadership tenure, all at Rogers State Prison (`deaths_by_facility`: Rogers State Prison — 6). No settlement amount is recorded, and the one lawsuit naming her as a defendant closed without a recorded payout.

What happened on their watch

Smith / Montgomery / Women's PDC — pre-warden postings (2003–2023). No deaths are attributed to any facility-lead post West held before Rogers. Her Smith State Prison years (2003–2017) precede the contraband and corruption cases that dominate later Smith coverage: the GPS intel entries naming former warden Brian Adams and officer Ireon Moore concern alleged RICO activity, a drone-smuggled firearm, and murders alleged to have been ordered from inside the prison during 2023–2026, after West's Smith postings ended.

Rogers State Prison — Warden, January 2024 to May 2026 (6 deaths).

• Shawn Remar Johnson, 34, died 2024-07-23; no cause category recorded in GPS data.
• Taylor Anthony Hunt, 29, died 2024-09-28 (death date corrected from 2024-09-27 per GBI). The GBI Medical Examiner report (DOFS 2024-6006054 / MDI ME-24-60559, Regional ME Robin Moiseff, peer-reviewed 2/21/2025) lists hanging, manner suicide, after a complete autopsy. GPS intel event entries — which carry no source URL — separately describe ligature marks, broken bones, bruises, puncture and stab wounds, and state the official suicide ruling is contradicted by physical evidence. Those are claims in GPS's intel log, not ME findings.
• David Edward Wood, age not recorded, died 2025-02-04. The Tattnall County coroner record (case 2025-010) lists natural manner: coronary atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease complicated by influenza A and parainfluenza virus 1; pronounced at Memorial Health Meadows Hospital, Vidalia. The record flags a name discrepancy — the death certificate spells "Wood."
• Justin Waymon Hollingsworth, 43, died 2025-06-26, found hanging in a one-man cell in cell block A; manner suicide per the coroner record and GBI limited autopsy (ME-25-60490). The coroner narrative notes the GRC team's arrival was delayed about an hour before the coroner had access to the cell; the GDC offender summary in the coroner packet notes mental health issues and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
• Randy Eugene Stewart, 60, died 2025-07-17. Coroner record (2025-054) lists natural manner: E. coli peritonitis from a perforated duodenum, with diabetes, hypertension, cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis C as contributing conditions. The same record states that EMR family notification listed "Warden Sandi West, Rogers SP," with no family contact recorded.
• John Meeks, 49, died 2026-02-19; no cause category recorded in GPS data.

Across the six deaths, two are recorded as suicides by hanging, two as natural deaths (cardiac/infectious), and two carry no cause category in GPS data. Recorded ages range from 29 to 60.

GPS notes on the Stewart, Wood and Hunt records include a provenance correction: cause of death had been entered as "Official (GDC)," but GDC has never published cause of death — the causes in these records come from county coroner and GBI ME documents.

Rogers-specific intel reports are drawn from a public Facebook comment by a formerly incarcerated man (posted 2026-09-01, undated as to period). They allege an H-2 fan motor fire was attributed by maintenance to the motor before a prisoner was charged; that a civilian farm supervisor on the GCI dairy detail supplied vapes and computer access and then blamed the workers; and that a counselor known as "Cowboy" was arrested for bringing in drugs and phones. None names West. A separate "Guard Stabbing Incident" entry at Rogers lists no source publication.

Litigation

• Jackson v. Catanzariti, No. 6:12-cv-00113 (S.D. Ga.) — filed 2012-12-10, terminated 2023-06-28; West listed as a defendant; no outcome amount recorded (CourtListener docket). The 2012 filing date falls between her recorded 2011 Lieutenant and 2016 CSM Lieutenant postings at Smith State Prison.

Sources

• GPS personnel and position records (GDC salary data, 2003–2025) and GPS death records for Rogers State Prison.
• Tattnall County coroner records — Wood (2025-010), Hollingsworth (2025-043), Stewart (2025-054).
• GBI Medical Examiner reports — DOFS 2024-6006054 / ME-24-60559 (Hunt); ME-25-60490 / DOFS 2025-6007358 (Hollingsworth).
• CourtListener — docket for Jackson v. Catanzariti, No. 6:12-cv-00113 (S.D. Ga.).
• Facebook — public comment, Georgia prison family group (2026-09-01), Rogers State Prison witness accounts and allegations.
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution; The Georgia Virtue; WTOC; Georgia Public Broadcasting; The Marshall Project; In These Times — Smith State Prison coverage (2023–2026), concerning the facility after West's tenure there.

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Sep 13, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.