Steve Metzer
Tulsa World Capitol Bureau Staff Writer
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A misdemeanor charge filed against the president of the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission accuses him of being a spectator at a cockfight.
The charge against Anthony DeVore, 53, was filed on Sept. 9 in McIntosh County, around the time the Oklahoma Ethics Commission was wrapping up an investigation of the Gamefowl Commission stemming from allegations that it committed serious violations of campaign finance laws. On Tuesday, the Ethics Commission reported that the Gamefowl Commission would pay a $10,000 fine and disband as a political action committee under terms of the settlement.
Activists in the Animal Wellness Action and Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) organizations alleged that they had taken video of DeVore and Gamefowl Commission Vice President Blake Pearce witnessing cockfights in McIntosh County in May and June.
Oklahomans passed State Question 687 in 2002, making it a felony to actively participate in cockfighting and a misdemeanor to attend a cockfighting event.
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In a statement, Animal Wellness Action President Wayne Pacelle and SHARK President Steve Hindi said their groups engaged in a long-running investigation of illegal cockfighting networks in Oklahoma, “with DeVore and Pearce at the center.”
“Cockfighting is their illegal business and this appears to be the primary focus of their lives,” Hindi said. “They’ll only stop when the state metes out severe punishments that are commensurate with their serious crimes.”
Efforts by the Tulsa World to reach DeVore and Pearce through the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission’s social media account have been unsuccessful.
An attorney for DeVore, Billy Coyle said in a statement to the online news outlet NonDoc that the charge against DeVore didn’t result from a law enforcement report but rather from a “hidden camera” investigation that he said will be challenged in court.
Records show DeVore was released on an own recognizance bond and is due back in court on Nov. 7. He could face up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $500 if convicted.
An online review of McIntosh County court records on Thursday didn’t reveal any charge being filed against Pearce.
steve.metzer@tulsaworld.com
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Steve Metzer
Tulsa World Capitol Bureau Staff Writer
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