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Family, advocates urge Madison County to secure mental‑health treatment for jailed 21‑year‑old
Summary
Family members and an advocate urged the Madison County Board during public comment to obtain inpatient mental‑health treatment for 21‑year‑old Keaun Cook, saying a transfer ordered Feb. 3 had not taken place and that local supports are insufficient.
Joshua Young and family members used the Board's public‑comment period to plead for expedited mental‑health treatment and a transfer for Keaun Cook, a 21‑year‑old with a long history of mental illness.
Young told the board that an order was signed Feb. 3 to transfer Cook to a Department of Human Services facility but that the transfer "has yet to happen," and he stressed that Cook "is no terrorist," saying family efforts across the state have not secured appropriate care. Debra Thomas, Cook's grandmother, described traumatic antecedent events including the death of his mother in 2011 and said Cook spent 18 months in solitary confinement; she said crisis lines and correspondence with the State's Attorney and defense counsel had not produced timely help. Godfrey resident Catherine Vajda, who said she has known Cook since he was 16, described him as polite and nonviolent and urged the county to recognize his needs.
Why it matters: multiple speakers framed the issue as both a public‑safety and a public‑health concern — they asked county officials to ensure that state or regional secure treatment capacity is used when jail conditions are not appropriate for individuals with significant mental illness. The speakers urged the board to follow up with courts, defense counsel, and state agencies to confirm the status of the transfer order.
What the board record shows: the remarks were recorded during the public‑comment portion of the Feb. 20 meeting; no board vote or formal directive appears in the minutes to compel immediate action, and the transcript does not record any response from a specific county official during the public‑comment period. Next steps indicated by speakers include returning to committee meetings and continuing contact with judicial and behavioral‑health authorities.
The meeting was recessed to a future date; the public‑comment statements stand on the record as requests for intervention and confirmation of Cook's placement and treatment plan.
