A Springfield man being tried on multiple felonies in two West Central Illinois counties has been sentenced while he awaits a court date in a third county.
45-year old Daniel D. Skaggs pleaded guilty yesterday in Schuyler County Circuit Court to charges of felony theft between $500 and $10,000, two counts of aggravated fleeing of police, obstruction of justice by destroying evidence, and felony driving on a suspended or revoked license.
Today, in Cass County Court, Skaggs also pleaded guilty to felony theft over $500 with prior convictions.
The Cass and Schuyler County charges stem from a March 17th high speed chase through three counties. Skaggs was spotted in a suspicious vehicle in a rural, northeastern portion of Schuyler County and reported to the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office. According to Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Redshaw at the time, a Schuyler County deputy stopped the vehicle and approached it. The occupant, Skaggs, then allegedly provided a false name before speeding off. Redshaw says that the deputy began pursuit, which crossed into both Fulton and Mason Counties. Members of the Havana Police Department, Rushville Police Department, and Mason County Sheriff’s Department also assisted in the pursuit. Redshaw says that the pursuit terminated in Bath after Skaggs’ vehicle ran out of gas. At the time of his arrest, Skaggs had an outstanding warrant from September 2022 in Cass County for possession of a stolen vehicle and two counts of felony theft.
Also at the time of the March arrest, Skaggs also had an outstanding warrant in Christian County. According to the Taylorville Daily News, in November 2021, Skaggs is alleged to have stolen at truck in Taylorville from Casey’s West. Skaggs was allegedly later located in the vehicle and Taylorville Police attempted to stop him but Skaggs fled, leading to high-speed chase on Illinois Route 29, where Skaggs is alleged to have tried to run one police vehicle off the road during the chase. The chase terminated after the truck struck a ditch after Skaggs allegedly tried to elude police through a cornfield. The collision disabled the truck and Skaggs was taken into custody. Upon his 2021 arrest at the time, Skaggs is said to have had 29 prior arrests and 27 convictions stemming from previous burglaries, narcotics, weapon offenses, traffic, and other charges. Skaggs was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing and eluding police, resisting a police officer, reckless driving, and driving with a revoked license. He also has an outstanding parole violation out of Macon County. The Christian County case is next due in court on July 17th.
Yesterday in Schuyler County, Skaggs was sentenced to a total of 3 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on all charges, 1 year of mandatory supervised, fined $225, and ordered to pay fees and court costs. He was given credit for 110 days served.
In Cass County today, Skaggs was given a concurrent 1 year sentence and given an additional 32 days credit for time served.