Two Men Charged In Alleged Cockfighting Ring In Spencer

Two men are now charged in connection with an alleged cockfighting ring located in Spencer.

Michael Hornbeck and Tyreece Lamont Jackson each face one count of providing equipment to be used in permitting cockfighting and five counts of possession of birds with the intent to engage in a cock fight.

Deputies with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office responded to complaints of birds fighting at 5501 Sherman Drive in Spencer on January 21.

1/22/2012 Related Story: One Arrested In Apparent Cockfighting Ring Raid

When deputies arrived, court documents show they discovered several rooster cages with roosters in them. Hornbeck told deputies he rented the property, lived there and owned the birds.

The birds found on the property appeared to be Old English Game type chickens, which the sheriff's department says is consistent with the type of birds used in cockfighting. Deputies also discovered a fighting pit with a freshly raked dirt floor located on the property, as well as multiple flight pens and a "Keep," which is an enclosed unit for housing and conditioning a rooster in the days prior to a cockfight. Inside the "Keep" officers found bladed knives designed to attach to a rooster's foot for cockfighting.

Court papers show deputies on scene believe Hornbeck was raising, training and conditioning roosters for the purpose of cockfighting and had engaged at least five roosters in a cockfight on January 21.

While on the property, deputies also found five roosters inside a transport cage in the back of a Chevy Tahoe owned by Tyreece Lamont Jackson. Also inside the vehicle, they found cockfighting paraphernalia including a wooden box with 11 pointed knives, a role of tape and some wax string that appeared to be for attaching pointed knives to the rooster's feet.