Lawrence Correctional officers plead guilty to inmate civil rights violations

Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 12:12 PM

By Steve Anderson

Two correctional officers employed at the Lawrence Correctional Center near Sumner appeared in federal court this week and admitted to conspiracy to deprive a restrained inmate there of his civil rights.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Southern Illinois, both 28-year-old Craig Muhs and 30-year-old Ethan Yates both pled guilty to the charge. It stems from an incident at the prison in late July of 2025 when Muhs who was a guard and Yates who was a lieutenant both admitted to striking the restrained inmate after a mistaken belief that he had assaulted a female employee. It was part of a six-person conspiracy in which the inmate was also pepper sprayed and asphyxiated while in leg shackles and handcuffs. The victim received numerous injuries including an orbital fracture.

The men did not intervene when other employees abused the victim, did not submit required reports regarding the incident and failed to obtain appropriate medical attention for him.

Muhs is scheduled for sentencing on November 9, and Yates on November 12, in U.S. Federal Court in Benton.