http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,64194,00.html
Thursday, September 26, 2002
FNC Johnny Toogood MISHAWAKA, Ind. — There’s been a trove of information coming out recently about Madelyne Toogood, the mom caught on surveillance video beating her 4-year-old daughter in an Indiana parking lot, including her brushes with the law.
Her husband isn’t squeaky clean, either.
Johnny Toogood, also known as John Tuga and John James Clark, has a rap sheet of his own, dating back several years and spanning several states.
Johnny was arrested in Philadelphia in 1998 and charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and conspiracy, among other things, relating to four different elderly victims in a home repair roofing scam. He pleaded guilty to deception charges for ripping off elderly victims in a home-repair roofing scam and paid $7,000 restitution to a 92-year-old victim.
According to court documents obtained by Fox News, Johnny, during his confession, said, "I’m down on my luck and I just needed money for my family. It’s not right that a lot of people make a lot more money. All the men in my family do this. This isn't a violent crime."
The prosecutor in the Philadelphia case said Toogood basically admitted that these "scams" are how he makes money and is a way of life.
In the summer of 1999, Johnny was charged with deceptive practices -- a felony -- and elder abuse stemming from another alleged home improvement scam in Whitefish, Mont. A Whitefish detective told Fox News that Johnny convinced an 83-year-old woman that her roof needed to be fixed and charged her $3,000 more than the going market price. He then skipped town. Whitefish police tracked him down through his cell phone. He was arrested in Wyoming on Aug. 12, 1999, where his wife posted a $20,000 bond for him, which he jumped.
Fast forward to Jan. 17, 2002, which is when Toogood was finally arrested in Victoria, Texas. He subsequently returned to Montana, where he faces charges of deceptive practices and bail jumping, both felonies, as well as elder abuse, which is a misdemeanor. His trial date is scheduled for early 2003. Johnny has indicated that he will represent himself.
Whitefish police told Fox News they are working with the FBI, as well as police in other cities, all of whom are investigating Toogood's background.
The Mishawaka Police Department in Indiana -- where the infamous beating was caught on tape -- has launched a spin-off investigation into the finances of the Toogoods, according to police Chief Anthony Hazen. He has placed four officers on the case full time.
The department is looking into how a family of drifters, who perform odd jobs, can drive around in expensive vehicles. Fox News has learned that Madelyne recently had a 2000 Mercedes Benz and a pick-up truck registered in her name. The Toyota Sequoia SUV pictured in the surveillance videotape of the beating is registered to Madelyne Toogood's brother-in-law.
Madelyne, before her husband's rap sheet ever came to light, repeatedly characterized her husband as a reputable businessman. She has accused police of targeting her family because they are members of a nomadic group known as Irish Travelers, which has long ties to home improvement rip-offs.
"My husband is in with the Better Business Bureau … and he still gets asked to leave places," Madelyne said during a press conference Sunday. "They still look at him and think he's up to something … he's got 500 references … of jobs he has did. And still police will come in and say ‘you get outta here, we don't want you people.’"
Madelyne stressed it would be best for her daughter, Martha, to be reunited with her family, or at the very least, in the care of her husband or another family member. The girl has been in the custody of foster care since her mother surrendered to Indiana authorities on Sunday.
"My husband is devastated, there's no other words," Madelyne said Sunday. "But if he has to, you know, if he gets custody of Martha, me and him will separate while he, you know, she is the most important thing right now. Give Martha back with somebody in my family."
Fox News' Jeff Goldblatt contributed to this report.
