Remington Park groom charged with animal cruelty

A licensed groom and hotwalker working at Remington Park has been arrested and charged with five counts of animal cruelty, according to an incident report from the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Dakota Wilbourn, 25, allegedly cut five horses in the neck or snout area Tuesday night at Remington. The horses all needed stitches, according to the police report. Wilbourn on Wednesday was summarily suspended by the Remington board of stewards and has a show cause hearing Oct. 22, according to a ruling dated Thursday.

Wilbourn remained in custody as of Friday afternoon, according to the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office website. Each animal cruelty count is a felony.

Police at the scene Tuesday interviewed Wilbourn and his girlfriend, who both live on the grounds at Remington. Hailey Tunnell said both she and Wilbourn had been drinking earlier in the evening, and the police report alleges Wilbourn was intoxicated when dealing with Remington security. The couple agreed to a police search of their car and housing. Tunnell told police she had no knowledge of Wilbourn injuring the horses.

Wilbourn contacted Remington security about the injured horses, according to the report. Remington security had veterinarians tend to the medical needs of the animals and took Wilbourn into custody based on video surveillance of some of the incidents.

Wilbourn told the police that he had had a single blade knife in his possession but that the injuries were too deep for the type of knife. He said upon being arrested that he did not cause the injuries to the horses. The lacerations documented ranged from four to 12 inches long, according to the police report.

Remington, which also operates a casino, issued the following statement to the media through its public relations partner, Koch Communications:

“At approximately 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Remington Park security officials responded to reports of an alleged incident in one horse barn on the stable side of the property,” Kym Koch, a spokesperson for Remington, said in the statement. “Security officials responded and found five horses with lacerations of an unknown origin. Medical assistance of a veterinarian was requested immediately and all horses involved received the care and attention needed as quickly as possible. All injuries are believed to be non-life threatening and the horses are resting comfortably.

“Remington security officials reported the incident to Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement officials as they investigate this matter and we defer all additional questions to them.”

Remington is currently conducting a meet for Thoroughbreds.