A Wyoming judge sentenced Cody Roberts to 18 months of probation for hitting a wolf with a snowmobile, taping the wounded animal’s mouth shut, bringing it into a rural bar, and then killing it, according to court proceedings.
District Judge Richard Lavery issued the sentence in Pinedale on Wednesday, ruling after Roberts reached a plea deal with prosecutors in February and changed his plea at an earlier March hearing, the AP reported. Lavery also fined Roberts $1,000 and imposed restrictions designed to limit alcohol and other activities during the probationary period.
Under the sentence, Roberts was ordered not to drink alcohol, enter a bar or liquor store, or hunt or fish while on probation. The AP reported that Lavery’s terms aimed to keep Roberts away from alcohol and hunting-related activity while the probation case runs.
Roberts also told Lavery at the change-of-plea hearing in March that he regretted what he did and apologized to his family and community. The AP said Roberts initially pleaded not guilty and had a trial scheduled for March before he pleaded guilty under the plea deal.
The incident occurred in February 2024 in Daniel, a small town of about 150 people roughly 50 miles south of Jackson. The AP reported that widespread criticism and scrutiny followed after photos circulated online showing the wolf with its mouth shut with tape.
The AP also reported that video showed the same wolf lying on the floor inside the bar, alive but barely moving, after being brought there by Roberts. Wyoming laws give people wide leeway to kill wolves and other predators in most of the state, the report said, and the criminal case focused on conduct that prosecutors pursued as animal cruelty.
The AP reported that Roberts previously paid a $250 fine for illegal possession of wildlife before being indicted last year on an animal-cruelty charge by a rare Wyoming grand jury.