Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission leader arrested in cockfighting bust

SHERMAN, Texas (KXII) - Earlier this week, 11 people were arrested in connection with a June cockfighting bust in Carter County. One of the men arrested in the bust is Chance Campo, a district leader with the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission.

According to its website, the commission is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote the interests of game fowl owners in Oklahoma.

Wayne Pacelle is the president of an animal rights organization called Animal Wellness Action, and he described them differently.

“This Oklahoma Gamefowl Gommission is just a charade,” Pacelle said. “It’s a phony name. It’s just a bunch of cockfighters that tried to have an authentic or serious minded name.”

They have the ear of at least one local lawmaker.

This past session, Oklahoma House of Representatives member JJ Humphrey co-authored a bill to reduce the penalty for cockfighting, but it failed by a single vote.

We reached out to representative Humphrey for comment, and he responded with a text.

“Mr. Campo’s actions do not represent the views of the Gamefowl Commission,” Humphrey said. “I will pledge to continue working with the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission to obtain fairness and justice for the game fowl industry in Oklahoma.”

Cockfighting has been illegal in Oklahoma for more than 20 years, and Pacelle said the arrest of Campo lends creedence to his belief that the commission is steeped in illegal activities.

“The only people interested in decriminalizing cockfighting in Oklahoma are cockfighters,” Pacelle said. “Now we’ve seen one of the leaders of the so-called Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission arrested for cockfighting crimes. It just makes it all very clear what the motivations are.”

Campo has been charged with a felony related to the cockfighting bust and is facing possible prison time and thousands of dollars in fines.

Pacelle says that he is thankful to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office for taking action.

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