Man accused of Wyoming wolf torture agrees to plea that would spare him trial, prison

A Wyoming man who allegedly hit a wolf with a snowmobile, taped the wounded animal’s mouth shut and showed it off in a rural bar before killing it has agreed to a plea deal that would spare him from going to trial and potentially prison.

Cody Roberts would instead pay a $1,000 fine and serve 18 months of probation under the deal reached with Sublette County prosecutors last week and filed in court Wednesday, according to court documents.

The alleged animal abuse happened in February 2024 in Daniel, a town of about 150 people some 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Jackson. Condemnation of the alleged abuse and scrutiny of Wyoming’s laws followed wide circulation of photos showing the wolf with its mouth bound with tape.

Video clips showed the same animal lying on a floor, alive but barely moving.

Wyoming law gives wide leeway for people to kill wolves and other predators by a variety of means in the vast majority of the state. Roberts initially paid a $250 fine for illegal possession of wildlife.

After being indicted on a single count of animal cruelty by a rare Wyoming grand jury last summer, Roberts faced up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.

Trial was set for March 9. Under the proposed plea deal he signed Feb. 17, Roberts would plead guilty or no contest to one count of felony animal cruelty, according to court documents.

The proposed plea agreement would prohibit Roberts from drinking alcohol, going into a bar or liquor store, and hunting or fishing while on probation.

As of Thursday, his trial remained scheduled and no plea hearing date was set, according to Sublette County District Court officials.

Roberts had no listed phone number and couldn’t be reached for comment. Both Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich and Roberts’ attorney, Robert Piper, of Cheyenne, declined to comment Thursday.

Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States, welcomed the news of Roberts’ proposed plea agreement.

“At the same time, the case reveals the serious gaps that leave wolves and other wildlife vulnerable to cruelty,” Nicholas Arrivo, an attorney for the group, said in an emailed statement. “Like domestic animals, wild animals are at the mercy of humans and deserve respect and legal protection.”

The initially light punishment for Roberts led to calls for a Wyoming tourism boycott, to little apparent effect. Yellowstone National Park had a busier year in 2024 than the year before.

Wolves remain listed as a federally endangered or threatened species in most of the country but have no such protection in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where they can be hunted and trapped.

Exceptions include Yellowstone and neighboring Grand Teton National Park, where hunting is prohibited and wolves are a major attraction for millions of tourists. In 85% percent of Wyoming, wolves are classified as predators and can be freely killed by virtually any means.

The so-called predator zone includes Sublette County, where the wolf was killed. Groups including Humane World for Animals argued that Wyoming’s animal cruelty law could nonetheless apply there.