The enforcement of Oklahoma’s cockfighting laws will be tested once the newly-elected Atoka County Sheriff Kody Simpson and Carter County Sheriff DJ Long take office in January 2025.
Once a police officer for the city of Atoka, Simpson received 51.66% of the vote in the Oklahoma primary election in mid-June 2024. He edged out incumbent Sheriff Tony Head who received 36.57% of the vote. According to reporter Fathanna Olson, Head was “at the top of the signature list of an April 2023 letter calling on the Oklahoma Legislature to reduce criminal penalties for cockfighting offenses,”
Olson also said, “Head was accused of informing cockfighting rings of possible raids and visits and of failing to enforce the law at cockfighting events.”
Kevin Chambers, state director of Animal Wellness Action (AWA) in Oklahoma, celebrated the news and wrote, “Getting rid of Tony Head is good news. We have addressed the issue of cockfighting on social media in Atoka County over the past year and articles about him were widely shared.”
In the Oklahoma Legislature, Atoka County is represented by Justin Humphrey who has authored bills to decriminalize cockfighting in recent legislative sessions.
In Carter County, DJ Long bested incumbent Sheriff Chris Bryant on a coin toss. Bryant is known for his outstanding enforcement of Oklahoma’s cockfighting laws.
Each candidate received 2,569 votes on election day. A nine-hour manual recount by four counters followed by the tie could not be broken. While there is no apparent history of DJ Long being involved in cockfighting, Bryant was backed by AWA Oklahoma as well as two-term Republican former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating.
In a press release, AWA stated, “Sheriff Bryant and his deputies have busted three cockfighting events in the county, Most recently, they have charged seven people for watching an illegal cockfighting event busted in April. This is based on previous arrests of Catlin Gavitt and Darline Gavitt, who were charged with two criminal offenses, namely operating a cockfighting facility and possessing and carrying birds for fighting. Carter County authorities acted on the information they were given about the illegal fight.”
AWA continued, “Last year, Sheriff Bryant and District Attorney Melissa Handke worked to bring charges against seven men, including 52-year-old Anthony DeVore, a head of the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission, for offenses related to illegal cockfighting. Four other individuals have been charged with misdemeanor offenses in connection with an event called the ‘Asian Gaff Championship.”
It was during this occasion that Chance Campo, then district manager of the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission, was arrested.
