Kay NewsCow | Former Ponca City resident accused of child abuse by injury in Payne County

STILLWATER — A former Ponca City resident is facing felony counts of child neglect and child abuse by injury in Payne County Court.

Jesse Thomas Edens Jr., 25, was arrested on Oct. 31 and is being held in the Payne County Jailed on $250,000 bond.

According to court documents first obtained and reported by 1600KUSH.com. Edens is accused of injuring a 6-year-old’s genitals with a safety pin and or a sharp instrument.

Taylor Melody Hightower, 26, Stillwater, who is identified as Edens girlfriend at the time, is facing charges of neglecting and enabling abuse of her 6-year-old son. She was arrested on Nov. 15, and released from the Payne County Jail on Dec. 2 on $10,000 bond. Both are ordered to have no contact with the child.

Stillwater police report that on Oct. 30 officers and the state Department of Human Services Child Welfare were notified by school officials that the child was complaining of an injury to his private parts.

The boy was reportedly taken to the Saville Center for Child Advocacy for a forensic interview and medical examination. Officials report that during the forensic interview, the child disclosed that he had injured his private parts and was told that a dog had torn his private parts while he was sleeping.

The police officer, who interviewed the couple reports that Edens had been home when the injury occurred. Both Hightower and Edens stated that the child was kept home from school on Friday, Oct. 25, because he had eaten a THC edible in the early morning of that day and was under the influence of THC.

Officials report that Edens claims that a dog ran across the boy while he was sleeping and tore his scrotum. He reportedly told officials that the couple did not take the child to a doctor and instead he would bandage the wound under the supervision of Hightower.

Officials report that the pair did this until Oct. 30 when the child was removed from the home and taken to OU Children’s Hospital by DHS for treatment. The pair reportedly were afraid to take the child to a doctor because they feared he would be removed from the home.

Edens is set for a preliminary hearing in Payne County on Feb. 21. 

Edens arrest record in Kay County includes a 2019 DUI. In Payne County, he was arrested for domestic abuse in the presence of a child and assault and battery in 2023.  On April 15, 2024, he entered a guilty plea to an amended charge of domestic assault. He was sentenced to a one-year in the Payne County Jail with all time suspended based on good behavior.

Hightower is set for a second preliminary hearing on Feb. 3. On Oct. 31, she filed for a protective order against Edens.