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Woodard, Ylitha L
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
Ylitha L. Woodard spent over a decade in progressively senior financial and accounting roles within the Georgia Department of Corrections, starting in 2013 at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison and later serving in positions without a fixed facility assignment. On November 16, 2024, Woodard was appointed Deputy Warden of Administration at Rutledge State Prison, a facility‑level deputy leadership post; the title was updated to Deputy Warden for the 2025 calendar year. GPS records attribute four deaths to Woodard’s tenure in that deputy warden role at Rutledge State Prison. No lawsuits name Woodard as a defendant.What happened on their watch
Rutledge State Prison — Deputy Warden (Nov 2024–present) Within six weeks of Woodard’s start as Deputy Warden, 73‑year‑old Joe Payne died on December 29, 2024. GPS records list the cause category as 6 (typically indicating an unspecified or undetermined manner). Three more deaths followed in 2025: on April 10, William Edward Houston, 75, also with a cause category of 6; on June 1, Alan Thomas Bryant, 46, whose death was attributed to natural causes; and on June 15, Brandon Keith Bolden, 37, whose death GPS records note as a homicide. Both Payne and Houston were in their 70s, accounting for half of the deaths under Woodard’s watch, while Bryant’s was the only death ruled natural and Bolden’s the only one recorded as a killing.Broader facility conditions during this period included a contraband‑related allegation reported by the Atlanta Journal‑Constitution: Sergeant Erika Shonquandria Hall at Rutledge was alleged to have admitted providing prisoners with cellphones, chargers, tobacco, and food in exchange for money on at least six occasions. Although the incident is not tied to Woodard individually, the allegation points to ongoing security challenges at the prison. Additionally, a lawsuit filed by the sister of Curtis Mincey, a person incarcerated at Rutledge, alleged that Mincey suffered from mental illness but did not receive appropriate medical or psychological assistance before his death; that death is not among the four attributed to Woodard’s tenure, but the litigation timeline overlaps with the facility’s operations during Woodard’s leadership.
Litigation
No lawsuits were filed naming Ylitha L. Woodard as a defendant.Sources
- GPS personnel and death attribution records — career history, death counts, cause categories, and decedent names.
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — allegation concerning contraband scheme at Rutledge State Prison (Sergeant Erika Hall).
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — lawsuit filed over Curtis Mincey’s death alleging medical and psychological neglect at Rutledge State Prison.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| Deputy Warden of Administration | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | 2024-11-16 → present |
| ACCOUNTING TECHNICIAN 3 | 2024-01-01 → 2024-11-15 | |
| FINANCIAL OPS GENERALIST 3 | 2018-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| FINANCIAL OPS GENERALIST 2 | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| FINANCIAL OPS GEN (AL) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Financial Operations Generalist | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2013-01-01 → 2013-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
4 people died at facilities under Woodard, Ylitha L's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-15 | BRANDON KEITH BOLDEN | 37 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-06-01 | ALAN THOMAS BRYANT | 46 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-04-10 | WILLIAM EDWARD HOUSTON | 75 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-12-29 | JOE PAYNE | 73 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
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