Editor's Note: This story was republished with permission from Pinedale Roundup.
PINEDALE — The Daniel man who brought global outrage to Sublette County by parading an injured and bound wild wolf around the Green River Bar was sentenced Wednesday for a single count of felony animal cruelty.
Cody Joe Roberts, 44, will serve 18 months of supervised probation and was ordered to pay $1,432 in fees and court costs. He must report to Sublette County Probation and Parole by the end of this week. During the sentencing hearing, Sweetwater County District Court Judge Richard Lavery told Roberts, “I have to be honest with you, the charge in this case is disturbing.”
Sublette County Prosecutor Clayton Melinkovich recognized “that there are some who are disappointed with the result in this case. The State is not.” He added, “The State feels that this is an appropriate sentence given the totality of the circumstances regarding this case.”
Melinkovich explained, “The judge must isolate himself from the ‘sob-sister’ type who pressures for leniency on the basis of the convicted person’s humanity without consideration of the injured victims and other pertinent factors, and the vengeful ‘blood-at-any-cost’ type who pressures for ‘hanging’ without consideration of the human nature of the convicted one and the circumstances surrounding him and the crime itself.”
The suspended two-year prison sentence in favor of 18 months of supervised probation “addresses the crime,” Melinkovich told the court Wednesday. “By definition, cruelty to animals is a nonviolent offense. This is not to say that this case did not include violence, but rather the Legislature designates this crime as nonviolent.” He noted the agreement also aligns with the recommendation within the pre-sentence investigation.
PSI and probation terms
A pre-sentence investigation (PSI) report filed with the court found Roberts is at “low risk for reoffending,” but that he requires level one alcohol treatment. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Roberts must complete the level one alcohol program. He is prohibited from consuming alcohol, keeping alcohol at his home, and being in locations where alcohol is sold or stored. He is prohibited from all forms of hunting, including shed hunting, and fishing for the entirety of his probation, and is not allowed to possess any firearms. At his March 5 change of plea hearing, Roberts’ attorney Robert Piper said his client had preemptively removed all firearms from his home.
Roberts must abide by any curfew set by his probation agent, submit to a DNA sample, and cooperate with all requests for breath, blood and urine testing. He is required to report all contact with law enforcement to probation and parole within 24 hours.
Judge Lavery told Roberts that he considered the “crime, circumstances of the crime, and your character” when making his decision to accept the terms of the plea agreement. He noted Roberts does not have a substantial criminal history and acknowledged his prior offense, in 2012, was also alcohol-related. “I think there are some things you can get out of this probation if you do it right… You have every reason to make this a success,” Lavery told the father of four.
Roberts declined to make any additional statements at his sentencing hearing, though he did offer a public apology to the community and his family during his March 5 change-of-plea hearing, stating, “I sincerely regret my actions and apologize to the community and my family.”
Sitting behind him on Wednesday were nearly 20 community members, several of whom were ranchers taking a break from a busy start to calving season. Addressing the court, Judge Lavery said he believes Roberts is genuinely remorseful. After sentencing Roberts, Lavery offered two words to the man: “Good luck.”
Wildlife advocates respond
Also present at Wednesday’s sentencing was Lisa Robertson, co-founder of Wyoming Untrapped. She told the Roundup, “I agree with the county attorney, this is the appropriate outcome. I think this is groundbreaking for future protections for predators.”
Robertson added, “This case goes beyond one individual and raises a basic question about what standards we’re willing to accept. When fair chase and humane treatment are optional instead of enforceable, outcomes like this are inevitable.”
There is still work to be done, Robertson added, “This outcome also reflects the system. There’s a legislative session this year that could address some of these issues. Our wildlife management leadership needs to take action on this. The whole world has responded to this. Wyoming needs to pay attention.”
Other animal rights activists also weighed in, including Dagny Signorelli, Western Watersheds Project Wyoming Director.
“This outcome spotlights a difficult reality in Wyoming that some forms of cruelty to wild animals are still legal or considered nonviolent,” said Dagny Signorelli, Wyoming Director at Western Watersheds Project. “A wolf was deliberately and maliciously run down with a snowmobile, tormented, and publicly displayed while suffering, yet the legal outcome for the wolf’s killer is a plea deal that includes no jail time. At the very least, Roberts should have received a permanent revocation of hunting and firearms privileges.”
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, said, “While we would have preferred prison time for Roberts, we are grateful to the Sublette County prosecutor and the judge for securing a felony conviction for cruelty to animals in this case.”
Roberts’ guilty plea in March came more than two years after the Feb. 29, 2024, incident and after photos and videos of him posing with the wounded wolf went viral online. The guilty plea was arranged as part of a Feb. 17 plea agreement made between Roberts’ defense attorney,Robert Piper and Melinkovich.
Roberts has 30 days from the date the judgment is filed in court to appeal the ruling.
