Louisiana
Louisiana jockey’s shocking shortcut leads straight to jail
A racehorse jockey found himself fleeing State Police on Saturday as a result of an investigation into cheating allegations at the Delta Downs Racetrack and Casino near Lake Charles.
Detectives with the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division were conducting post-race checks of each jockey when 41-year-old Ricardo Hernandez-Perez, of Vinton, bolted from the stables. During his brief escape attempt, the jockey removed a battery-operated shocking device from his clothing and tossed it into one of the horse stalls, State Police said.
Officers quickly apprehended Hernandez-Perez and booked him into the Calcasieu Correctional Center. He faces charges of unnatural stimulation of a horse. Louisiana law prohibits the possession or use of devices designed to unnaturally stimulate, depress, or excite a racehorse before or during a race. The law also extends to racetrack stables, sheds and other facilities where eligible horses are kept.
If convicted, Hernandez-Perez could face a fine ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 and a prison sentence of one to five years.