Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Keeper George Haight was killed after an inmate poisoned his food with a mixture of opium and prussic acid (cyanide) at the Michigan State Prison, in Jackson, during an elaborate escape attempt.
The inmate had tricked the night captain into believing he had buried treasure in Rhode Island and that he would share it with him. The promise of the treasure prompted the captain to give the inmate additional liberties and freedom to move around the prison at night.
Despite serving a life sentence for poisoning his mother and being suspected of poisoning his father, the night captain allowed the inmate to order prussic acid from an outside pharmacy. On the night of the inmate's escape, the inmate was assisted in preparing meals for the guards and poisoned them with the mixture. As the guards ate and drank their meals, they immediately became extremely ill and unable to move.
When Deputy Keeper Haight collapsed from his chair, he knocked down several plates, causing a loud noise that drew the attention of another guard who hadn't been poisoned. When the other guard came to investigate, he discovered the inmate tending to Deputy Keeper Haight. The inmate told the guard that the keeper was dying and was subsequently sent to get help. The inmate instead took the prison keys and two revolvers and walked out of prison.
He was arrested several days later and charged with murdering Deputy Keeper Haight. The night captain was also arrested and charged with being criminally negligent.
Deputy Keeper Haight was a Civil War veteran who served at the Michigan State Penitentiary for eight years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and five children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-7424CBB8- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Keeper Haight served with the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Thank you for your service to the people of Michigan. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
George W. Haight served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Keeper George W. Haight 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 MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Michigan Department of Corrections, 5 of 15 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George W. Haight's cause is highlighted.
How George W. Haight Compares
Offender Outcome
Convicted of murder
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. George W. Haight is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Michigan Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw.
