Man Who Owns Logan County Compound Blames Others For Sexual Abuse

Rusty Surette, News 9

COYLE, Oklahoma -- The man who owns the so-called sex compound in Logan County has blamed others for the alleged sexual abuse of children his own home.

Authorities said Ed Whitlock and several others looked the other way as sex offenders took advantage of several kids.

News 9 has confirmed eight children have been seized from at least three families, and it's Whitlock's own granddaughter who tipped off authorities to what was happening.

On Wednesday, Whitlock bonded out of the Logan County jail and was dropped off at his home on North Indian Meridian Road in the community of Coyle. Whitlock said his property is not the "sex compound" authorities are calling it.

"No, not at all", Whitlock said.

State and county authorities disagreed. Investigators said it's on Whitlock's land where children and sex offenders often mingled, unsupervised. And what was happening behind closed doors is why 11 people, including two juveniles, are now charged with crimes involving inappropriate conduct with kids. Some are charged with failing to report the crimes.

Whitlock didn't deny sex offenders are frequent visitors. He even admitted one registered sex offender is living on his land with his 14-year-old great nephew and the teen's grandmother. He also acknowledged the inappropriate behavior between one juvenile and another. Authorities said Whitlock refused to do anything about it.

Whitlock told News 9 the sexual acts between the juveniles in his home were not his problem and he thought their parents were going to "take care of it." Apparently they didn't, because Whitlock's granddaughter, Ashley Matthews, was the one who tipped off authorities to what was happening.

"I don't really feel bad about it because it put people in jail that need to go to jail," Matthews said.

Matthews, 21, said there are others, like her grandparents, who are innocent and never "looked the other way".

"No one is okay with any child being molested or touched. We're not that kind of people," Matthews said.

Matthews' four-year-old son is one of the victims. Both her kids are now in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, along with six other children from other families.

Matthews had plans to pack her belongings and move far away from this community. Whitlock said unless someone wants to buy his land, he's not moving.