Roll of Honor
Incident
Guard Zoeth Skaggs was killed during an escape attempt by 10 inmates from the Stateville Correctional Center. The escape attempt started in either the furniture factory or the coal division when the escaping inmates overpowered guards. They made a makeshift ladder, which may have been too short for the 32-foot high fence surrounding the prison and stole a truck. The inmates raced the truck to Tower 12 at the southeast corner of the institution and laid the ladder on the wall. When the guard manning the tower challenged the inmates, they told him they were there to fix the searchlight. He told them the searchlight was never repaired from inside and ordered them to stop. The guard opened fire when they refused and the inmates threw Molotov cocktails in his direction. During the five-minute attempted escape, approximately 25 rounds were fired by the tower guards, one of which struck Guard Skaggs, who died about an hour and a half later. Guard Skaggs had served with the Illinois Department of Corrections for 14 years. He was survived by his wife and four sons. Before serving with the agency, Guard Skaggs was a school teacher in Marion.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and four sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-FB05C80C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Guard Skaggs gave the Illinois Department of Corrections 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Guard Skaggs.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Guard Zoeth C. Skaggs is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Illinois Department of Corrections, 5 of 32 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 15.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Zoeth C. Skaggs's cause is highlighted.
How Zoeth C. Skaggs Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Zoeth C. Skaggs is highlighted in Nov.
Others Who Wore This Badge
31 officers from Illinois Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
