No Rules in No Man's Land

Edwin Turlington

I received another update from disabled veteran and private investigator Edwin Turlington from Delaware County, Oklahoma. His locality and the behavior of local law enforcement there are what inspired the title of this article.

Turlington informed me when I first started to cover his story that he lives very close to the borders of Arkansas and Missouri, an area in which criminals from the two states find convenient not only to lay low, but lay low and commit other crimes, like making methamphetamine.

More specifically, they set up shop in rural areas which they believe to be abandoned, rural areas such as the Turlington family property,  a foreclosure property the Turlington's purchased that had been vacant for  years.

In April of 2014 Edwin Turlington noticed someone had built a fire on the property. When he investigated the incident he found Darrell Philpott and two of his cohorts cooking what appeared to be methamphetamine. When Turlington confronted the group, Philpott became combative and refused to leave. Turlington tried to execute a citizen's arrest at which time Philpott charged Turlington with a glass bottle in his hand.

Turlington fired a single .380 round into the leg of Philpott in self-defense.

Unbelievably, Philpott was not charged by the local sheriff's department, who opted to charge Turlington instead. Not only did the sheriff's department charge Turlington, they tried to seize his truck.

Sheriff Harlan Moore

Quoting a post found on Turlington's Facebook page:

"Delaware County Sheriff Harlan Moore tried to steal my truck after he ordered my false arrest. Melvin Gayle Wells, the old obese draft dodger, told my mother (while I was in jail waiting to throw bail) that I would never see my truck again.

Of course, I did see my truck again, the day I posted bail. And I didn't have to pay a fine or even go to court to get it back. Because the DCSO never had the right to impound my truck in the first place, as it was not used in the commission of a crime. Good thing I am a better cop than those old losers could ever be.

I also saw a lot of other things the P.O.S. Wells didn't think I would ever see, such as the exculpatory evidence he withheld from the DA in the Probable Cause report he wrote."

If you're wondering why the Delaware County Sheriff's office would protect a criminal and prosecute a law abiding veteran, perhaps it is because Philpott was a protected informant in Oklahoma, despite having multiple felony convictions and a plethora of dangerous and or violent misdemeanor convictions in Arkansas and Missouri (watch this video of Philpott threatening an Arkansas deputy). In order to protect their informant the Delaware County Sheriff's Office charged Edwin Turlington.

Former Delaware County Prosecutor Winston Connor

The corruption in Delaware County isn't limited to the local law enforcement , it extends to defense attorneys as well. As a result of the charges against him, Turlington hired the services of local attorney Winston Connor II. Mr. Turlington paid Mr. Connor $10,000 to retain his services. Connor wanted an additional $20,000- $30,000 for his services and considering the fact that Mr. Turlington felt he was not properly being represented, he opted to defend himself.

Turlington had his reservations about Winston Connor II and as it turns out, he was right. Connor recently made international news when the U.K.'s Daily Mail newspaper reported his arrest for his part in a murder for hire plot. According to the Daily Mail:

"An Oklahoma defense attorney has been arrested for allegedly asking a convicted murderer to kill another murderer while they were behind bars."

The Grand Lake News gives a detailed account of Connor’s practice of trading legal services for sex with prostitutes:

"Connor was arrested on Saturday, Jan. 12, as he returned to the U.S. from a Caribbean vacation. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement officials conducted simultaneous searches of his home and law office.

The affidavit for search and seizure warrant filed by Thomas Helm, a member of the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office, outlines how Connor allegedly used his “legal expertise to further the illegal operation” of the Loren Sells/Dennis Cousino criminal enterprises.

In the affidavit, Helms states, based upon grand jury testimony, Connor “knew that the Sells/Cousino Organization was wholly a front for prostitution.”

The affidavit alleges Connor “on numerous occasions, engaged in acts of prostitution with employees” of the organization. He also allegedly handled or discussed legal matters with multiple women, who were allegedly prostitutes with the organization."

Still, this story of Oklahoma corruption continues. In a November 20th, 2018 bar complaint submitted by Turlington against Nick Lelecas (the prosecuting attorney at the time of Mr. Turlington's arrest), states:

" 1. Nic Lelecas accepted perjury in court, and now, after being informed, knowingly refuses to seek remedy for that falsehood. The perjury is indisputable. When asked directly about his criminal history, on the stand, under oath, Darrell Philpott first evaded, and then lied on the record.

A) Philpott’s first provable perjury was in the opening minutes of the hearing when Philpott testified his initial drug felony was for “Possession”, specifically denying “Trafficking” (lines 21-23, p. 29, preliminary transcripts). See page 3, CRIMES tab for Philpott’s Possession w/ purpose to Deliver Controlled Substance felony (to which he pled Guilty). 

B) Philpott’s second provable perjury was when he testified that he had been in no trouble with the law other than his initial drug felony. My attorney at the time, Winston Connor, began his cross examination of Philpott by asking Philpott if he had ever been convicted of a felony. Philpott answered that he had been convicted of a felony for a “Half a bag of weed” (lines 16-20, p.29, Preliminary Transcripts). Later Philpott admits it was “A half a trash bag” (line 9, p.30, ibid.) Philpott explains this “half a trash bag” felony was “under Act 378”. Act 378 was an Arkansas statute that made expungement automatic for most youthful offenders after the completion of probation. Winston asked Philpott if he had been convicted of any misdemeanors involving moral turpitude to which Philpott answered “No.” (p.30 ibid.) DWI is a crime of moral turpitude in Oklahoma. Multiple DWIs enclosed in the “RAP” tab. When Winston asks Philpott if the ACT 378 felony is the only trouble Philpott had been in, Philpott answers “Well, I’ve been in a little bit more trouble, but not a whole lot”. Winston asks Philpott what that means, and Philpott answers “Just traffic violations”. Winston asks if that is all, and Philpott answers, “Yeah, as far as I know.” (p. 75, ibid.) Winston asked if Philpott remembered anything else and Philpott evades again with “Well, not a whole bunch”. Winston asks Philpott what he does remember and Philpott replies, “I know I’ve had a lot of tickets”. Winston asks Philpott once more if he has anything other than traffic tickets to which Philpott responds “Not that I know of”. At this point Winston asked me if there was anything more, I wanted him to ask Philpott, and I told Winston to ask Philpott about a 2009 poaching arrest for which Philpott had an active FTA bench warrant, while he was testifying. So, Winston asked Philpott “Poaching?” to which PHILPOTT answered “No, I don’t believe in it” (p. 76, ibid.) See “Crimes” tab for Philpott’s 2009 poaching arrest and subsequent FTA Bench Warrant as well as his 2009 DWI arrest, subsequent FTA Bench Warrant and subsequent conviction.

In summary of the perjury issue: Mr. Lelecas had in fact been a prosecutor for at least two of Philpott’s previous arrests for Failure to Appear. Failure to Appear is a crime, and Lelecas knows it. What followed is legally indefensible. When I later took documentation of the perjury to Lelecas, (a transcript of the hearing and a partial list of Philpott’s criminal history), Lelecas refused to acknowledge it, or to “give knowledge thereof” this falsehood to the judge, as his oath explicitly requires him to do. Lelecas’ dishonesty in accepting Philpott’s known perjury substantially prevents me from defending myself, as the two primary witnesses in this case are Philpott and me, so the case comes down to credibility. 

Please notice that Lelecas did not object to any of my lawyers’ questions about Philpott’s background. Please note that Philpott’s 1981 Felony burglary conviction, 1981 Felony theft conviction, and 1981 Felony Possession with Intent Conviction were sentenced under Arkansas Expungement Act 378. Act 378 was repealed in 2011 and criminals sentenced under Act 378 had to reapply for expungement. Philpott’s records are still available because he either didn’t reapply to expunge or because he didn’t qualify for expungement the second time due to his continued criminal misconduct."

Turlington also alleges that Lelecas refused to address undersheriff Well's omission of exculpatory evidence which included:

Photographic evidence that proves Turlington show Phillpot in the front of the leg, proving he did not shoot Philpott in the back of the leg as he was fleeing (as Phillpot alleges). Not only did Wells withhold the photographs which showed one wound several times larger than the other, but he also withheld the Wound Specialist’s determination that the bullet went from the front of Philpott’s leg towards the rear. The Wound Specialist is a Registered Nurse and the only person at the Emergency Room that night with the specialized wound training to make a determination on the directional path of the bullet. When I brought this to Lelecas’ attention, he did nothing."

Undersheriff Gale Wells

Finally Turlington, in his complaint states that Lelecas failed to investigate undersheriff Wells coaching of Philpott and altering of witness testimony in a PC affidavit.

If all of this was not enough to shake one's faith in the legal process Turlington recently informed me that he has been in talks with current prosecutor Kenny Wright. It appeared that Turlington's charges would soon be dropped or at the very least, reduced to a misdemeanor but in true Delaware County Oklahoma fashion, things change in the blink of an eye.

Late last week, Turlington posted to his Facebook page information that the prosecutor wants to talk to Philpott...again. Turlington writes:

"Had another meeting today. Prosecutor says he needs to talk to Philpott the drug dealer. Again. Even though he was supposed to meet with him last week and Philpott didn't show up and they can't get hold of him. And he has a bench warrant for his arrest."

To support Edwin Turlington please call District Attorney Kenny Wright, District 13 (Delaware and Ottawa county Oklahoma) at: 918-253-4217

Emergency Room photograph of entry wound on front of Darrell Philpott's leg.

Emergency Room photograph of exit wound on Darrell Philpott's leg.

Emergency Room Nurse's notes which prove Philpott was shot in the front of the leg.

For For the full history of Edwin Turlington's story and the extremely corrupt Delaware County, Oklahoma purchase "The Rape of Delaware County" $10 paperback / $.99 Kindle