Dec. 11--A serial rape suspect struck one of his attorneys from behind, knocking him unconscious, inside Cook County Jail on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
Jimmie Terrell Smith, who is being held in a maximum-security division, appeared to strike one of his public defenders with his handcuffs as their meeting ended shortly after 2 p.m., said Cara Smith, the jail's executive director.
"It's a very unfortunate, disconcerting event," she said.
Jimmie Terrell Smith has been awaiting trial for five years in the alleged rapes of five women and girls, including two 14-year-olds he allegedly kidnapped. He is also charged with attempted murder for allegedly playing Russian roulette with two of the victims. He has pleaded not guilty.
A Tribune investigation in 2011 revealed that Smith admitted to knowing what happened to 15-year-old Yasmin Acree, an honor student who vanished from her West Side home in January 2008. He had moved into the same two-flat as Yasmin after serving 10 years in prison for attempted murder.
He has also told authorities and Tribune reporters that he was responsible for at least three unsolved murders after he was paroled in 2005.
As he met with two of his attorneys Wednesday, Smith was handcuffed with his hands in front in an unusual security precaution after he had previously been found with contraband inside the jail, the jail director said.
Smith struck one of his attorneys, Richard Kruss, who suffered a cut to the back of his head or neck area, said Patrick Reardon, first assistant public defender. The other attorney was unharmed.
Nearby correctional officers restrained Smith and called for an ambulance, officials said.
Kruss, 49, an experienced trial lawyer at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, was conscious and speaking as he was taken to an area hospital, Cara Smith said.
"We do this all the time -- it's just a regular part of the day for a public defender," Reardon said of the jail visits. "We're there to provide a valuable service to our clients. It's just unfortunate."
He said such attacks are rare, but assistant public defenders have even been struck in a courtroom in front of a judge, Reardon said.
In addition to the sexual assaults, Jimmie Terrell Smith was charged in 2012 with attempted murder, aggravated battery and possessing a weapon inside the jail, records show. He was charged again later that same year with two additional counts of possessing a weapon inside the jail.
He now faces additional charges for the attack on Kruss, Cara Smith said.
sschmadeke@tribune.com
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