Both Pennsylvania Commission Directors Dismissed; HIWU Charges Against Trainer Dropped Over State Investigators’ ‘Misconduct’

Tom Chuckas, director of the Bureau of Thoroughbred Horse Racing at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s State Horse Racing Commission, is no longer employed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Paulick Report learned on May 27. Chuckas presented during a meeting of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission (PSHRC) on May 26.

Two additional racing personnel in Pennsylvania have been dismissed from their roles: Jason Klouser, director of enforcement for the PSHRC, and Tony Salerno, director of the Bureau of Standardbred Horse Racing.

No further information was available from the Department of Agriculture, which responded to an inquiry from Paulick Report, stating: “We do not comment on personnel matters.” No announcement has been made for the individuals’ replacements.

Efforts to reach Chuckas, Salerno, and Klouser were not successful.

Chuckas has been with the Bureau of Thoroughbred Racing since 2016. He previously spent six years as president and chief operating officer of the Maryland Jockey Club that oversees Pimlico and Laurel Park, and before that worked at Standardbred tracks in Michigan and Maryland. Salerno had served as a presiding judge at Standardbred tracks.

Jason Klouser is listed as the vice chairman of the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI). He served as a police officer from 2010 to 2015, during which he was certified as a drug recognition expert and law enforcement instructor, and worked as an undercover narcotics officer. He assumed the position of director of enforcement for the PSHRC in 2015 and has served on the ORI board since 2018.

The news of the personnel changes comes on the same day that charges against Pennsylvania-based trainer Felissa Dunn for possession of two banned substances were dismissed by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the entity charged with enforcing the rules of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). It is not known whether there is a connection between the Dunn case and the personnel changes.

According to a statement from HISA, two investigators working on behalf of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission (PSHRC) were found to have “engaged in conduct that compromised the integrity of the investigative process and violated the standards expected of those entrusted with supporting HISA’s mission.”

Both the HIWU document and HISA’s statement clarify that there was an issue with the investigators’ chain-of-custody documentation. According to HIWU, a search was performed of Dunn’s barn area at Parx Racing by investigators acting on behalf of the PSHRC on May 27, 2025. Nine syringes capable of accepting needles were found, of which two were submitted for forensic laboratory analysis. The Equine Integrity and Anti-Doping Sciences Laboratory in Lexington, Ky., reported that the substances in both syringes contained the two banned substances, chlorpromazine and proponylpromazine.

Chlorpromazine is an antipsychotic medication, while proponylpromazine has historically been used as a neuroleptic to combat stress in pets and farm animals.

HIWU states that it “obtained signed witness statements from two of the investigators working on behalf of the PSHRC, who both stated that only one investigator conducted the May 27, 2025, search of trainer Dunn’s barn area. The relevant chain of custody for the syringes was established through evidence identified by a lone investigator.”

However, HIWU’s statement adds, “on May 6, 2026, HIWU learned for the first time that one of the investigators who provided a written statement intended to testify at the hearing – contrary to the written statements that were previously provided – that two investigators (not one) were involved in the search and seizure of the syringes.”

In light of the “new and contradictory” evidence regarding the chain of custody, HIWU filed a Withdrawal of Charge on May 6, and the arbitrator in the case subsequently issued an order terminating the case against Dunn. A HISA representative also told the Paulick Report that HISA will not pursue charges against Dunn for possession of syringes due to the chain of custody concerns.

HISA and HIWU’s statement indicates that they will “no longer accept the participation of these investigators in HISA- or HIWU-related cases.”

“Integrity is one of the foundational pillars of HISA’s mission, and we have no tolerance for even the slightest deviation from the highest standards of professionalism,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “The integrity of our sport depends on accountability at every level, and HISA will continue to take all necessary steps to identify and sanction those whose misconduct threatens the trust placed in HISA’s programs. And it will do so in a transparent manner, acting in the best interests of the industry.”

Find the full HIWU decision on the Dunn matter here.

This story was originally published by Paulick Report on May 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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