Edwardsville Police Charge Local Man With Intimidation, Assault Days After Pretrial Release

EDWARDSVILLE – A local man accused of intimidating and assaulting an employee in Edwardsville while on pretrial release faces additional charges in Madison County.

Timothy J. Chesus, 51, listed as homeless out of Wood River, was charged on Aug. 5, 2026 with a Class 3 felony count of intimidation and a Class A misdemeanor count of aggravated assault.

Chesus allegedly threatened to inflict physical harm on an employee of MOD Pizza in Edwardsville while brandishing a knife on June 14, 2026.

Chesus had previously been charged with aggravated battery after allegedly severely injuring another individual in Pontoon Beach. The state’s petition to keep Chesus detained in that case noted he has a “history of engaging in violent and threatening conduct.”

Chesus also previously plead guilty to disorderly conduct in a 2024 case in which he “displayed a machete and walked around” the outside of the Wood River McDonald’s.

The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to keep Chesus detained pending trial in this new case. The petition alleges Chesus committed this latest offense just three days after the state’s previous petition was denied and he was ordered to be released from custody.

The latest petition to keep Chesus detained states he entered the MOD Pizza establishment on June 14 and asked an employee about cutlery. After the employee showed Chesus where the restaurant’s cutlery was located, he reportedly walked up to the employee without provocation while brandishing a hunting knife. Chesus said “that if he wanted to use cutlery, he would use something like ‘this,’ referring to the knife,” causing the employee to fear for their life, according to the petition.

The petition states this latest offense goes beyond violating the previously imposed conditions of his pretrial release and shows Chesus “cannot abide by any set of pretrial release conditions without posing an imminent danger to public safety,” and that “for those reasons, he must be detained.”

The Edwardsville Police Department presented the latest case against Chesus, who was ordered remanded to jail for his initial court appearance in this case.

All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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