Scott City man pleads guilty to shooting at Cape police officers in Jan. 18 chase

The Southeast Missourian reports that a Scott City man pleaded guilty Tuesday in an ongoing Alexander County, Illinois, criminal case related to a Jan. 18 police pursuit beginning in Cape Girardeau and ending near McClure, Illinois. 25-year-old Cameron Cook was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm. He had two other charges that were dismissed as per the conditions of Cook’s plea, which was knowingly and voluntarily made. Charging documents were filed in criminal cases against Cook and Charles Franz after the Jan. 18 police chase. Court documents identify Franz as the driver of the suspect vehicle, which rammed a Cape Girardeau officer’s patrol vehicle, and Cook as the passenger who fired a long rifle at pursuing peace officers. The state agreed to cap its recommended sentence to 15 years, and a sentencing hearing is set for 1 p.m. June 4 in Alexander County. The next hearings against Franz will be a March 31 pretrial, followed by an April 21 jury trial.