Inmates at Hays State Prison remain on lockdown a day after authorities announced arrests in connection with the third inmate death since December.

“Any time a major incident such as a homicide occurs, all the inmates are locked down in their cells,” said Rick Jacobs, field operations manager for the north region of the Georgia Department of Corrections.

That means inmates eat in the cell and receive medical care in their cell, according to Jacobs.

Jacobs said he did not know how long the prison would remain on lockdown.

“Any time we go into a lockdown situation, it’s continually assessed,” he said.

Three inmates have died at the prison in just a little more than a month.

Nathaniel Reynolds, 30, died Friday. Jacobs would not elaborate about how Reynolds died.

Ricardo Beltran-Gonzales, 36, and Leonardo Ramos Rodrigues have been charged in connection with the death.

Department of Corrections records show Gonzales was sentenced to 30 years for cocaine trafficking and Rodrigues was sentenced to 10 years for involuntary manslaughter.

 Two other Hays State inmates were killed in December. Damien McClain was killed in a fight in a prison cell on Dec. 26, and Derrick Stubbs was found dead while in protective custody on Dec. 22.

Hays State Prison is a close security facility in Trion that houses male offenders with behavioral problems that cannot be addressed at other prisons and Mental Health Level II offenders. 

Previously posted

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has announced two inmates at Hays State Prison in Trion have been charged in the death of a 31-year-old prisoner.

GBI Spokesman John Bankhead says 36-year-old Ricardo Beltran-Gonzales and 39-year-old Leonardo Ramos Rodrigues have been charged in the death of Nathaniel Reynolds. Department of Corrections officials say Reynolds died after a fight at the prison Friday.

Department of Corrections records show Gonzales was sentenced to 30 years for cocaine trafficking and Rodrigues was sentenced to 10 years for involuntary manslaughter.

Previously posted

The Hays State Prison inmate who died from injuries sustained in a fight with other inmates has been identified as Nathaniel Reynolds by a Georgia Department of Corrections official.

DOC spokeswoman Gwendolyn Hogan said details about the Friday incident that led to Reynolds’ death, including the number of inmates involved and possible motives, are still under investigation.

According to the Department of Corrections website, Reynolds was serving a life sentence for a murder committed on August 19, 1999 in Fulton County. State Supreme Court documents identify the murder victim as Le-Andre Barnes, who was shot by Reynolds during an armed robbery.

Reynolds was the third Hays State inmate killed since December. Damien McClain was killed in a fight in a prison cell on Dec. 26, and Derrick Stubbs was found dead while in protective custody on Dec. 22.

Hays State Prison is a close security facility in Trion that houses male offenders with behavorial problems that cannot be addressed at other prisons and Mental Health Level II offenders.