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Wilkes, Scott W
Status: active
Profile written September 6, 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
Scott W. Wilkes appears in GPS records as a Georgia Department of Corrections administrator who held correctional administration, superintendent, and warden titles from 2015 onward. His facility-linked leadership tenure was as Warden at Washington State Prison from April 1, 2022, through June 15, 2024. GPS records attribute 15 deaths to that Washington State Prison tenure, all 15 of which are reflected in the deaths-by-facility figures. Three lawsuits list Wilkes as a defendant: Hinson v. Wilkes (filed 2018), Griggs v. Davis (filed 2017, closed 2022), and Ash v. Oliver (filed 2024, closed 2025). None shows an outcome amount.What happened on their watch
Washington State Prison — Warden, April 1, 2022–June 15, 2024. The 15 deaths on record span April 11, 2022 (Omar Lashley) to May 2, 2024 (Johntavis Kellom). Three are documented as homicides: Marquis Jefferson (May 11, 2022, stab wounds to torso and arm, per the AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation), Michael Jackson (Aug. 17, 2022, multiple blunt force injuries in the setting of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, per the AJC), and Jacob Cole Henson (April 23, 2024, multiple gunshot wounds).The Henson case is the most extensively documented. A Georgia death certificate lists manner as homicide and says, per GPS records, “GUNSHOT WOUNDS WHILE FIGHTING WITH PRISON GUARDS.” The GBI autopsy found five gunshot wounds, and a GDC incident report states a firearm was used and the incident was not videotaped. An AJC investigation reported that a GDC officer fatally shot Henson during a fight at a hospital while transporting him for medical treatment. GBI case notes cited in GPS records describe Henson as hospitalized after an earlier stabbing and pepper-sprayed before guards opened fire.
Four deaths were methamphetamine-related accidents: Garrett Bailey (June 12, 2023), Jimmy Rucker (June 20, 2023), James Jenkins (July 10, 2023), and Johntavis Kellom (May 2, 2024). Three deaths were natural: Omar Lashley (April 11, 2022), Phillip Rutledge (Oct. 6, 2022, respiratory failure due to COPD), and Sharod Johnson (June 26, 2023, metastatic colon cancer). Jason Speed’s death was certified as undetermined by the medical examiner. Four additional deaths — Jimmy Reed (April 2, 2024), William Brooks (Nov. 25, 2022), Charles Williamson (June 20, 2023), and Ronald Kidd (Oct. 30, 2023) — appear in GPS records without a cause; for Brooks, Williamson, and Kidd, GBI declined examination. Reporting by 41NBC also referenced a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice finding that Georgia prison officials were “deliberately indifferent” to unchecked violence, drug use, extortion, and sexual abuse.
Litigation
- Hinson v. Wilkes, No. 1:18-cv-00025 (S.D. Ga.), filed Feb. 8, 2018; terminated Nov. 26, 2018.
- Griggs v. Davis, No. 1:17-cv-00089 (S.D. Ga.), filed July 27, 2017; terminated Jan. 3, 2022.
- Ash v. Oliver, No. 5:24-cv-00021 (M.D. Ga.), filed Feb. 1, 2024; terminated Jan. 6, 2025.
Sources
- GPS records — personnel positions, deaths attributed, GDC incident report 389670, and GBI case notes.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation; Henson hospital shooting report.
- GBI Division of Forensic Sciences records — Henson, Kellom, Jenkins, Rucker, and Bailey autopsies; Brooks, Williamson, and Kidd declined examinations; Speed undetermined determination.
- Georgia death certificates / Washington County coroner records — Henson, Lashley, Rutledge, and Johnson cause and manner.
- CourtListener docket records — Ash v. Oliver, Hinson v. Wilkes, Griggs v. Davis.
- 41NBC — reporting on U.S. Department of Justice findings in Georgia prisons.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| WARDEN 1 | 2022-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | |
| Warden | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | 2022-04-01 → 2024-06-15 |
| SR MGR, CORRECTIONAL ADMIN | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | 2018-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| WARDEN 3 | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| CORRECTION ADMINISTRATION | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:24-cv-00021 | GAMD | 2024-02-01 | terminated |
| 1:18-cv-00025 | GASD | 2018-02-08 | terminated |
| 1:17-cv-00089 | GASD | 2017-07-27 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
15 people died at facilities under Wilkes, Scott W's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-02 | JOHNTAVIS JERMAINE KELLOM | 36 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2024-04-23 | JACOB COLE HENSON | 31 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2024-04-02 | JIMMY LEE REED | 66 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-10-30 | RONALD WAYNE KIDD | 61 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-07-10 | JAMES MICHAEL JENKINS | 61 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-06-26 | SHAROD FARRAN JOHNSON | 31 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-06-20 | CHARLES CRAIG WILLIAMSON | 55 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-06-20 | JIMMY LEE RUCKER | 53 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-06-12 | GARRETT LEE BAILEY | 39 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-11-25 | WILLIAM A BROOKS | 67 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-11-23 | JASON SHAYNE SPEED | 45 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-10-06 | PHILLIP RUTLEDGE | 72 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-08-17 | MICHAEL LEE JACKSON | 60 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-05-11 | MARQUIS RESHAWN JEFFERSON | 26 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-04-11 | OMAR SHEFFIELD LASHLEY | 51 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
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