Godfrey terror suspect charged with assaulting jail guard

A Godfrey man accused of planning a terrorist attack has now been charged with attacking a sheriff’s deputy while in jail.

Keaun Cook, 20, was in custody on two felony charges accusing him of communicating with a terrorist group and planning an attack on local sites in September 2016. He has been in jail since then — his trial was continued as his mental fitness has repeatedly been called into question.

According to new charges filed in Madison County, Cook allegedly punched a Madison County sheriff’s deputy in the face on Tuesday. Sheriff’s deputies manage the Madison County Jail.

Cook now faces one count of aggravated battery, a Class 2 felony, in addition to his other pending charges.

Shortly after his arrest in 2016, Cook was found fit to stand trial, although his family has alleged that he has multiple mental illnesses made worse by his time in jail.

On May 1, the court ordered another examination, stating that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that he might be in need of immediate hospitalization to prevent him from doing harm to himself or others, based on “personal observations of jail personnel and of the court of the defendant in open court.”

He was ordered to be remanded to the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the felony charges were postponed again.

However, that has not yet taken place, according to State's Attorney Tom Gibbons.

His bail on the battery charge was set at $50,000, but he remains in custody without bail on the terrorism charges. The next status conference in his case is set for July 23. In the meantime, a hearing is scheduled for July 10 on permanently awarding guardianship of Cook as a mentally disabled person to his grandmother, Debra Thomas.

This story was originally published June 29, 2018 at 7:22 AM.