A Wyoming man who hit a wolf with a snowmobile, taped its mouth shut, and displayed the wounded animal in a rural bar before killing it pleaded guilty Thursday to felony animal cruelty, with the sentencing judge saying he would review the plea agreement before deciding whether to accept it.
Cody Roberts, 44, appeared in Pinedale before District Judge Richard Lavery and told the court, “I sincerely regret my actions and apologize to the community and my family.”
The case drew national attention after photos of the bound wolf circulated widely, generating more than 5,000 emails and what Lavery described as “countless” phone calls to his office, and renewed scrutiny of Wyoming laws that give residents broad authority to kill wolves and other predators across most of the state.
Under the plea deal Roberts filed with prosecutors last week, he would pay a $1,000 fine and serve 18 months of probation, compared with a maximum penalty under the original charge of up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Roberts would also be prohibited from drinking alcohol, entering a bar or liquor store, or hunting and fishing while on probation.
Roberts had initially pleaded not guilty. His trial was set to begin the following Monday.
The incident occurred in February 2024 in Daniel, a town of about 150 people roughly 50 miles south of Jackson. Condemnation and scrutiny of Wyoming’s predator laws followed the wide circulation of photos showing the wolf with its mouth bound with tape. Video showed the same animal lying on a floor, alive but barely moving.
Roberts initially paid a $250 fine for illegal possession of wildlife. A Wyoming grand jury — which the Associated Press described as rare in the state — indicted him on the animal cruelty charge last year.
Lavery said he had not taken or read any of the communications his office received because of his duty to remain impartial.
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.