Georgia Commissioner of the Department of Corrections James Donald left open the possibility that the three employees suspended from Hays Prison may loose their jobs.

In response to a question from a reporter, Donald said that when he came to Hays Prison after the inmates escaped last week he was "not happy" with what he found.  Donald would not elaborate on the reasons for suspending two correctional officers and former Warden Dale Herndon.

Herndon had been serving as warden at Hays State Prison in Pennville for less than four months.  In the original press release from the Department of Corrections after Herndon was appointed Warden it gave the following bio:

"Dale Herndon is a native of Forsyth, Georgia and began his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections in 1979 as a Correctional Officer at the Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison in Jackson. He worked his way up through the ranks of CO I to Captain at GDCP and was promoted to Unit Manager at Rogers State Prison. In 1989, he was appointed Deputy Warden of Security at Hays State Prison. Prior to his appointment as Warden at Hays State Prison, he served as Warden at Walker State Prison"

The new Warden at Hays Prison is Dennis Brown.  Warden Dennis Brown was appointed as Acting Warden of Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia on October 17, 2008. 

Prior to assuming this position, he has been serving as the Warden of Scott State Prison, a 1500-bed medium security prison in Milledgeville, Georgia.  Commissioner James E. Donald
describes Warden Brown as the “consummate professional who has a strong
background in security.  He is absolutely the right man for this challenging
leadership position.”
 
Warden Brown has an extensive background in command and staff  
positions in the Georgia Department of Corrections.  Prior to becoming appointed
Warden at Scott State Prison in 2007, he served as the Deputy Warden of
Security at Augusta State Medical Prison in Augusta, Georgia for eight years,
beginning in 1999.

The names of the suspended correctional officers have not been released.