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CNN Live Saturday

Toogood Under Arrest on Charges of Felony Battery

Aired September 21, 2002 - 18:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: After a week of frantic searching, suspect of a disturbing surveillance tape is in police custody. Madelyne Gorman Toogood is under arrest on charges of felony battery for allegedly beating her little girl in a store parking lot.
CNN's Gary Tuchman joins us from Mishawaka, Indiana with the details.

Hi, Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, hello to you.

And it was 35 minutes ago that the mother we saw in the videotape surrendered here at the police station behind me. She is now under arrest. She is now in custody.

It was like a precision CIA operation when she arrived here. Five cars zoomed down a side street all together. Two big vans, three small police cars following them, there was a white van and a blue van. Some family members in the white van, in the blue van the mother.

Her name: Madelyne Gorman Toogood. Inside the van with her, her 4-year-old daughter Martha. The little girl who we saw getting beaten up by her mother in that videotape taken eight days ago, by a surveillance camera at a Khol's Department store here in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Well, at this point, they're inside being questioned by police officials, by prosecutors, and by child welfare officials. The lawyer for this mother said the girl was in good shape despite the beating she got. Child welfare officials are now getting their first look at the girl to make sure and see if that's correct.

I have talked, a short time ago, to a member of the prosecution team who saw the girl as she went in. He was not in the meeting. He did say he saw the girl. And his quote to me was: "She was not crying."

We don't know how long they will be inside, but once they leave the police station the mother will then be sent to the county jail, which is about 15 minutes away from here in South Bend, Indiana. She will be booked, she will have the opportunity to pay $5,000 bond on the felony battery charge. We are told by her lawyer she will pay the bond. And it's expected she will be freed tonight.

But this woman, who we saw in the videotape, who has not been charged with felony battery is under arrest. And it is very unlikely they've ever seen anything like this in this part of Indiana before, or any other part of the United States, because when you have child abuse cases, you usually don't have this type of arrest scene. But because of this videotape, that has been all over the United States -- and the world -- this turned into a very high-profile case.

But right now, the suspect -- and the victim -- are in the same room in this building in Northern Indiana.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Now, Gary, you mentioned the initial observation of the little girl, Martha, four years old, is that she was not crying. But now Child Welfare Services folks want to look at whether there is any evidence of any physical -- or even mental abuse, correct?

TUCHMAN: Well, there's not question about that. And that will take some time. That's one thing I want to point out. It won't just take 15 minutes or an hour, or two hours, while they're starting this questioning period. The lawyer for the mother has already told us this mother totally expects that for the time being she will not have custody of her daughter. They want the custody to go to another family member. Indeed, this mother is married. However, it's very possible that Child Welfare officials will say, hey, she needs to stay with us for a while. She needs to go to a hospital for a while. At this point, we just don't know.

WHITFIELD: All right. Gary Tuchman, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired September 21, 2002 - 18:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: After a week of frantic searching, suspect of a disturbing surveillance tape is in police custody. Madelyne Gorman Toogood is under arrest on charges of felony battery for allegedly beating her little girl in a store parking lot.
CNN's Gary Tuchman joins us from Mishawaka, Indiana with the details.

Hi, Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, hello to you.

And it was 35 minutes ago that the mother we saw in the videotape surrendered here at the police station behind me. She is now under arrest. She is now in custody.

It was like a precision CIA operation when she arrived here. Five cars zoomed down a side street all together. Two big vans, three small police cars following them, there was a white van and a blue van. Some family members in the white van, in the blue van the mother.

Her name: Madelyne Gorman Toogood. Inside the van with her, her 4-year-old daughter Martha. The little girl who we saw getting beaten up by her mother in that videotape taken eight days ago, by a surveillance camera at a Khol's Department store here in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Well, at this point, they're inside being questioned by police officials, by prosecutors, and by child welfare officials. The lawyer for this mother said the girl was in good shape despite the beating she got. Child welfare officials are now getting their first look at the girl to make sure and see if that's correct.

I have talked, a short time ago, to a member of the prosecution team who saw the girl as she went in. He was not in the meeting. He did say he saw the girl. And his quote to me was: "She was not crying."

We don't know how long they will be inside, but once they leave the police station the mother will then be sent to the county jail, which is about 15 minutes away from here in South Bend, Indiana. She will be booked, she will have the opportunity to pay $5,000 bond on the felony battery charge. We are told by her lawyer she will pay the bond. And it's expected she will be freed tonight.

But this woman, who we saw in the videotape, who has not been charged with felony battery is under arrest. And it is very unlikely they've ever seen anything like this in this part of Indiana before, or any other part of the United States, because when you have child abuse cases, you usually don't have this type of arrest scene. But because of this videotape, that has been all over the United States -- and the world -- this turned into a very high-profile case.

But right now, the suspect -- and the victim -- are in the same room in this building in Northern Indiana.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Now, Gary, you mentioned the initial observation of the little girl, Martha, four years old, is that she was not crying. But now Child Welfare Services folks want to look at whether there is any evidence of any physical -- or even mental abuse, correct?

TUCHMAN: Well, there's not question about that. And that will take some time. That's one thing I want to point out. It won't just take 15 minutes or an hour, or two hours, while they're starting this questioning period. The lawyer for the mother has already told us this mother totally expects that for the time being she will not have custody of her daughter. They want the custody to go to another family member. Indeed, this mother is married. However, it's very possible that Child Welfare officials will say, hey, she needs to stay with us for a while. She needs to go to a hospital for a while. At this point, we just don't know.

WHITFIELD: All right. Gary Tuchman, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com