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<p>A mother pleaded guilty to a felony battery charge today after she was shown on a store surveillance videotape repeatedly striking her 4-year-old daughter in a parking lot.</p> <p>The judge sentenced Madelyne Toogood, 26, under misdemeanor guidelines, giving her a one-year suspended sentence, with a year on probation and a $500 fine. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped a more serious charge of battery of a child and a misdemeanor charge of giving police officers a false address.</p>

The Madelyne Toogood (!) case has captured the attention of the armchair set all across this country. Various grumblings have been heard, from “Hang the bitch” to “Whose business is it?” I won’t presume to judge the slovenly cow – oops! – but it occurs to me that this whole story is a fabrication along the lines of Jessica McClure. It is a media creation, wholly undeserving of the attention it has received, and hardly a credit to either our country or our journalists. Where’s the meat in this story? The pathos of the little girl? The demonic rage of...

"Oh just go listen to her Kevin, give her chance," came the considerable urging of my friends. So Saturday night, there I am, finding myself winding the back roads of Rosemont, Illinois, trying to get to "the event" for the weekend - Amy Grant and Vince Gill live in concert. Arriving just on time, getting to my seat which was about 18 rows back center stage, I had just enough time left to say "Hi" to a few friends sitting nearby. One of whom could not resist. "Kev! Surprised to see you here!" "Well, hey, the opening act looks good,...

Some local authorities will not refer to Madelyn Gorman/Toogood and Margaret Daley as 'Travelers' but a local expert on Travelers says from the video he's seen, he believes the women are Irish Travelers. There are an estimated 12,000 to 20,000 Irish Travelers in the United States, mostly in South Carolina and Texas. This is where it is believed Gorman and her family is from. Travelers live a nomadic lifestyle, moving from town to town in large groups to do seasonal work but they've also been labeled, by some, as scam artists. Most Irish Travelers in this country are descendents of...

MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- Police say they're looking for a Texas woman who was videotaped striking her young daughter in the parking lot of a department store in northern Indiana. Police said a surveillance video captured Madelyne Gorman beating her daughter, Martha Toogood, as she put her in a white sport utility vehicle Wednesday. The SUV had a Texas license plate, South Bend television station WNDU reported. Police said Gorman and another woman -- identified as Gorman's sister -- had earlier caught the attention of security personnel. "They had some items that they took into Kohls that they tried to received...

Mother to surrender in videotaped beating of girl 09/21/2002 Associated Press MISHAWAKA, Ind. - A woman seen on a department store security tape punching her 4-year-old daughter plans to surrender Saturday, her attorney said Friday night. Police have been searching for Madelyne Gorman Toogood since Sept. 13, when a camera in a department store parking lot videotaped her punching and shaking her 4-year-old daughter. The attorney, Stephen Rosen, said Ms. Toogood is on her way to Chicago and will surrender. She is charged with felony battery to a child. Indiana police took the search nationwide Wednesday when they released...