A Wyoming man was hit with a felony charge after allegedly hitting a wolf with his snowmobile. But it’s what he did after that has him facing up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Cody Roberts is accused of striking a wild wolf while riding his snowmobile outside of Jackson, Wyoming, in February 2024. He then allegedly proceeded to tape the animal’s mouth shut and transport the wounded wolf to a local bar, where he showed it off before killing it.
Roberts was ordered to pay a $250 fine for illegal possession of wildlife following the incident. However, after calls for a boycott of Wyoming tourism, a 12-person grand jury found enough evidence to support the felony charge for animal cruelty, according to Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich.
“While many of the animal abuse provisions do not apply to the hunting, capture, killing, or destruction of a predatory animal, there are narrow circumstances where a person could be charged and convicted of animal abuse,” Melinkovich previoulys said after Roberts was hit with a small fine.
According to Section 6-3-1005 of the criminal code, a person could face felony animal cruelty charges in Wyoming if he or she “knowingly, and with intent to cause death or undue suffering, beats with cruelty, tortures, torments or mutilates an animal.”
If convicted, Roberts faces up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Photos and video evidence show Roberts posing with the wild animal, as red tape is wrapped tightly around his nose and mouth.
“State wildlife officials also said animal cruelty laws don’t apply to animals the state considers predators, including wolves, which receive that designation everywhere but the northwest corner of the state, where they’re regulated as big game,” Wyoming News reported. The outlet explained that Governor Mark Gordon signed a new law earlier this year, making the torment of all wildlife a felony.
Wolves are listed as a federally endangered species across the United States, with three exceptions. In Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, it is legal to hunt and trap wild wolves.
