A man facing felony aggravated battery charges after a Tribune story highlighted his alleged attacks on at least 14 people since 1990 is expected to appear in Central Bond Court Friday, after a one-day delay, said a spokesman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
Donald Cook, 47, who is homeless, was to have appeared in court Thursday, but his bond hearing was delayed because his paperwork was not processed in time, Thomas Stanton said. Cook was arrested Tuesday and charged the next day with two felony counts of aggravated battery in public places for allegedly punching two women. He has denied taking part in the attacks.
Previously, he had been charged with a felony only once, in 1998, after he allegedly attacked a traffic control officer in the Loop. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity after spending more than two years in a psychiatric institute.
The Tribune story detailed several occasions in which prosecutors dismissed charges against Cook after he repeatedly failed to show up in Misdemeanor Court.
