Wyoming Man Sentenced to Probation for Wolf Cruelty

In Pinedale, Wyoming, a district judge on Wednesday sentenced 44-year-old Cody Roberts to 18 months of supervised probation for maiming a wolf with a snowmobile, taping its jaws shut, displaying the injured animal in a local bar and later killing it. The penalty, part of a February plea agreement that spared Roberts from up to two years in prison, includes a $1,000 fine, abstinence from alcohol and restrictions on hunting and fishing.

The incident occurred on February 29, 2024, in Daniel, a rural community of about 150 residents located roughly 50 miles south of Jackson in Sublette County. Roberts, a father of four from western Wyoming, pursued the wolf on his snowmobile, struck it and rendered it immobile. He then bound the animal's mouth with tape, transported it to the Green River Bar and kept it on display inside the establishment for a period before taking it outside and ending its life. Photographs and video of the wolf, alive but barely moving on the bar floor, circulated widely online, sparking international condemnation and renewed debate over wildlife protections.

Roberts initially faced a $250 fine for illegal possession of wildlife. However, a rare Wyoming grand jury...