An inmate at the Washington State Prison in Davisboro was found dead last week, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
The deceased individual was located by correctional staff last Friday on August 9.
The Washington County Coroner’s Office was called to transport the body to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for the determination of an official cause of death.
Devonte Williams, 26 years of age, was identified as the deceased inmate.
Williams was serving a 20-year sentence for aggravated assault for crimes committed in Cobb County with a maximum release date in May of 2041. He was also arrested in 2016 for illegally entering a vehicle and theft of a credit card.
The Georgia Department of Corrections Office of Professional Standards is investigating the incident.
This is the second reported death of an inmate at the Washington State Prison in the past two months.
As previously reported by WACO 100, 42-year-old Torrey Forrester was found lying on the floor of his cell by a correctional officer on July 1.
Within minutes, staff were able to transport him to the medical area. At the time, Forrester was conscious.
Medical staff immediately contacted local emergency crews who arrived within the next 40 minutes.
The inmate was pronounced dead by arriving responders.
The Georgia Department of Corrections stated that the cause of death was undetermined at the time. There were no reports of an altercation involving the inmate.
Forrester was serving a three year sentence for the possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in Catoosa County. He had a maximum release date in March 2025.
Per standard procedure, the Georgia Department of Corrections’ Office of Professional Standards is also investigating this incident.
The deaths come within the first two months of the promotion of Veronica Stewart as Warden of the Washington State Prison.
Stewart, the former Special Assistant to the Warden at the Telfair State Prison, assumed the role of Warden at the prison in Davisboro in mid-June.
She began her time in the correctional field as an Officer at the Telfair State Prison in 2007 and worked her way through the ranks, spending nearly her entire career in Telfair County.
According to the Department of Corrections, Stewart is responsible for overseeing all Washington State Prison staff members and over 1,500 medium-security male offenders.