Animal Wellness Action applauds Cherokee Nation Attorney General for bringing charges for organized staged fights
Tulsa, Okla. — Animal Wellness Action today praised law enforcement authorities for pursuing felony animal cruelty charges against a former county sheriff in connection with alleged cockfighting operations conducted on Cherokee Nation land in McIntosh County.
According to court records, Jeff Coleman, former sheriff of McIntosh County, has been charged with felony animal cruelty by the Cherokee Nation Attorney General Chad Harsha after authorities obtained video evidence allegedly showing Coleman organized a cockfight on Cherokee land in June 2025. Undercover investigators with Animal Wellness Action obtained the footage and documented the crimes.
As previously reported, Anthony Devore, former president of the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission, and Blake Pearce, the current vice president on that cockfighting organization, were also charged in connection with the same cockfighting events were—with both men accused of participating in the cockfights held at Coleman’s property. Because Devore and Pearce are not Cherokee citizens, they have been charged in McIntosh County Court under Oklahoma law.
“It is deeply disconcerting that a sworn law enforcement leader in Oklahoma was the primary organizer of an illegal cockfighting derby,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “The law must apply equally to everyone, including the former top cop of the country. We applaud the current McIntosh County District Attorney Carol Iski for charging Devore and Pearce and we commend Cherokee National Attorney General Chad Harsha for bringing charges against former sheriff Coleman. The evidence we gathered is overwhelming and compelling.”
Cockfighting is a felony under Oklahoma law as well as under federal law. The bloodsport involves tying knives or gaffs on rooster’s legs, tossing them into a pit to fight to the death, always accompanied by illegal gambling and often other criminal activity.
Animal Wellness Action also noted that Devore recently resigned as president of the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission to run for state representative in Oklahoma House District 19. Court records indicate that Devore failed to appear for a scheduled court date in January, and a bench warrant is under advisement.
“Anthony Devore told the public and state lawmakers that he was not involved in illegal activities, and then he was caught red-handed entering birds into a fight at a cockfighting pit in Oklahoma,” added Kevin Chambers, Oklahoma state director at Animal Wellness Action “We trust that voters in House District 19 will reject a man who neither honors his word or the law.”
Last year, the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association endorsed the FIGHT Act in Congress, noting that “cockfighting pits are often centers of gambling, narcotics, and violence, drawing offenders from across state lines.” Kyle Keller, deputy director of the OSA, described that communities “living near these operations are exposed to danger, and communities are degraded by the criminal culture that accompanies them.” The FIGHT Act, S. 1454 and H.R. 3946, would amend the Animal Welfare Act to strengthen federal enforcement by:
- Prohibiting both in-person and online gambling on animal fights
- Banning shipment of mature roosters through the U.S. mail
- Authorizing citizen suits against sponsors and participants
- Enabling forfeiture of animals and property used in animal-fighting crimes
The FIGHT Act already has an extraordinary and broad-ranging coalition of about 1,100 agencies and organizational endorsers, including major agricultural organizations and companies concerned that cockfighting threatens their operations by spreading deadly avian diseases.
Local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are increasingly stepping up, aided by the investigations of Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy and Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK). But the federal government has been very slow to act to combat illegal animal fighting activities.
Animal Wellness Action offers rewards for people reporting dogfighting or cockfighting. Tips can be sent to tips@animalwellnessaction.org. For more information about efforts to combat animal fighting, visit Animal Wellness Action’s website at www.animalwellnessaction.com