It's Been a MADDEN-ing Week

With the KSP announcement and arrest of Timmy Madden on Friday, an artificial calm descended on the town of Scottsville, Kentucky. Residents are relieved for the Doolin family and ready to feel like their own children are safe again.

It has been a MADDEN-ing week, perhaps the most tension and insecurity the town of Scottsville has witnessed since at least 9/11/2001, although few if any feared that Scottsville was in Al Quaeda’s sights.

The thing that made this week so long and exhausting has been the proverbial fear of the unknown. Unknown is entertaining the thought that your kids' Sunday School teacher might be a killer. Unknown is whether or not to send your kids to school with MONSTER on the loose. Unknown is whether there’s an expiration date on this trepidation or if this is the new normal for our little ville.

Although KSP apparently had their man on Saturday night mere hours after the murder, they and their complicit superiors—lawyers and politicans—didn't bother to reassure the public for six long nights.

In the void of real news, the court of public opinion deliberated on the second and tenth hand versions of heresay and Timmy Madden has been found guilty by an overwhelming public opinion. Based on what? Nothing except the KSP’s assertion that they have matching DNA, which may or may not be admissible, or may or may not hold up on cross examination. There’s as much of the UNKNOWN as ever. We are not yet convinced as a community the right man has been apprehended. Not recalled is the 8th Amendment protecting citizens from cruel and unusual punishment, forgotten is the principle of innocent until proven guilty. Allen County is overdue for a good civics refresher in light of this arrest.

What is known is that few if any of the faithful know the difference between vengeance and justice (in spite of the manner of death of their own Saviour, also the victim of rumors). For my part, the talk of castration and all similar topics (cutting him up, feeding him feces, etc.) suggested with relish in Scottsville this weekend should be left to ISIS as that is in no way reflective of American values.

Change of venue? Yes, please.

So, that brings us to what WAS resolved by the arrest. KSP released the pressure valve on themselves, as well as scrutiny. The local law enforcement agencies got pats on the back. Some version of justice is in process. We have been told the investigation is ongoing but they have their man and our children are safe now. Seems like mixed messages.

Does Allen County feel safer? It will not be an overnight return to a secure feeling. It had been two nights and if traffic and crowds in town are markers, people are coming out of their lockdowns and scaling back their defenses. At least, back to Defcon 2 from 4. Or maybe they’re just house burnt. Still in place are the maternal grizzlies and the prickly uneasy paternals. I observed children acting as if sternly warned before leaving home or exiting the car. They would sit still. They would not ask to venture about. Maybe though the kids felt that themselves some, too, and chose to stick close.

Who is Timmy Madden? He’s one of us. He has given us no indication of suspecting him capable of these crimes. As far as we know he has no ties to the victim except socially, which if measured by that a great many are incriminated. The arrest as we know in a local Biology teachers lingo is ‘DNA, baby, DNA!’ We hear ‘DNA doesn’t lie’ but as per civil liberties DNA obtained without a search warrant should be ignored. We’ll see how all that turns out.

Scottsville has begun to heal. The talk is growing quieter. The cries of the victims loved ones are fading from the public’s hearing. Newsmedia have forsaken their updates from the town square... until tomorrow’s arraignment, anyway.

It is the end of the beginning for this tragedy with miles to go before the end of the end.