MDOC Honor Guard

The MDOC Honor Guard presented colors at the graduation for 27 officers who completed 8 weeks of training at the Northern Region Training Academy on June 3, 2026. Congratulations to all of you. We wish each of you a safe, rewarding, and lasting career with the MDOC!

May 17, 1998: Doris Taylor, who worked as a food service supervisor at the Thumb Correctional Facility, was stabbed to death by an inmate on this date. Taylor had worked at the prison for 11 years and had announced earlier that she planned to retire at the end of the year.

The inmate, a Level II prisoner with no previous assaultive misconducts or management problems, apparently stabbed Taylor and then tried to commit su***de by slashing his throat when corrections officers intervened. The inmate had worked with Taylor for four years and speculation suggests that he had a hard time coping with her decision to retire. He was found guilty in Taylor's murder and is serving a life sentence.

On May 15, 2026 four members of the Michigan Department of Corrections Honor Guard presented colors at the 2026 Upper Peninsula Peace Officers Memorial Service.

April 28, 1960: On this date, Bernard Fancher, an assistant athletic director at the State Prison of Southern Michigan, was stabbed to death by a prisoner who was described as having a long grudge against him. According to witnesses, Fancher was sitting at his desk when a prisoner approached him swinging a baseball bat. Fancher and another employee ran from the office, but Fancher fell over a wheelbarrow. The prisoner immediately fell upon Fancher and stabbed him 13 times.

Fancher was pronounced dead at the scene. Earlier in the year Fancher fired the prisoner from his cleanup job at the gymnasium for being loud and abusive.

MDOC Honor Guard is proud to welcome 5 new members to the team!

Kandi Wright - (CPC -URF/NCF/KCF)
Cherry Taylor - (HRD-GOTC)
Candace Johnson - (Corporal - WHV/SAI)
Ronald Flaquel - (CO/MCF)
Brian Cummings - (CO/SRF)

Today we remember Corrections Officers
Joseph D. Crater and Max H. Hinckley
EOW 3-31-67

Of the fourteen employees killed while on duty, two were killed by accident. On March 31, 1967, officers Joseph D. Crater and Max H. Hinckley were victims of an explosion at the State Prison of Southern Michigan.

Hinckley, a 57-year-old native of Paw Paw, and Crater, a 25-year-old ex-marine, were on duty inside the arsenal when the mysterious explosion and subsequent flash fire claimed their lives. A total of 80 percent of the facility's arsenal, including guns, tear gas, ammunition and radios, were lost.

Deputy Keeper George Haight
EOW 3-27-1893

Today, we remember Deputy Keeper George Haight, who was the first employee to be killed in the line of duty for the Michigan Department of Corrections after an inmate poisoned his food with a mixture of o***m and prussic acid (cyanide) at the Michigan State Prison, in Jackson, on March 27, 1893, 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 because 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, two revolvers, and walked out of the 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 and had served at the Michigan State Penitentiary for eight years. He was survived by his wife and five children.

Never Forgotten

Our thoughts are with the fallen officers family both blood and work. Correctional Officer Dies After Overnight Incident at Morgan County Prison

WARTBURG, Tenn. — A correctional officer at the Morgan County Correctional Complex has died following a late-night incident involving an inmate, according to officials.

The Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed Officer Pedigo suffered multiple stab wounds during an altercation that took place just after midnight. Despite life-saving efforts, he later died from his injuries.

As reported by BBB Communications

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