PINEDALE, WYO., — The Wyoming man who allegedly snowmobiled into a wolf and then brought it into a western Wyoming bar for hours to amuse friends and family will fight his felony charge, sending one of the country’s highest-profile animal cruelty cases in years toward a trial.
Appearing virtually before Sweetwater County District Court Judge Richard Lavery on Monday afternoon, Cody Roberts told the judge he understood the charges being brought against him, which Lavery read from an amended indictment.
Roberts “knowingly and with intent to cause undue suffering” … “tortured or tormented” a “male gray wolf,” the judge read from the charging document.
“How do you plead?” Lavery asked.
“Not guilty,” Roberts said.
(Wyoming Game and Fish) Cody Roberts kneels over an injured wolf that the Daniel man brought into the Green River Bar.
Sublette County Prosecuting Attorney Clayton Melinkovich, who spearheaded the case against Roberts, did not speak in any depth about his case or foreshadow his legal arguments.
On Feb. 29, 2024, Roberts brought the injured wolf into the Green River Bar in Daniel and allegedly tormented the muzzled animal for hours. The longtime resident, who owns a trucking business, was drinking and made a joke out of the wolf’s plight, according to an eyewitness. But the young wolf’s languid behavior suggested that it was suffering from massive internal injuries after reportedly being legally struck with a snowmobile until it was “barely conscious,” according to state officials.
The resulting outrage was intense, inflamed both by photos that emerged from the night and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s initial response. Wardens fined him $250 for possession of warm-blooded wildlife instead of forcing him to make a mandatory court appearance and face possible stiffer penalties.
By mid-April 2024, Robert’s treatment of the wolf had drawn intense scorn and indignation, which filtered in from around the world. The online outrage was so overwhelming that the state of Wyoming had to cease tourism promotion on its social media channels.
Monday’s arraignment was the first time that Roberts had publicly addressed his actions. WyoFile has made repeated attempts to interview him without success.
During his Monday arraignment, neither Roberts, nor his attorney, Piper, spoke about the events from spring 2024.
Shortly after the treatment of the wolf blew up in the media, Sublette County law enforcement officials made it clear they disagreed with Game and Fish’s interpretation of Wyoming’s animal cruelty statutes. The state agency maintained that those laws — which carry more severe penalties — didn’t apply because of the wolf’s “predatory animal” status. The county opened its own probe that stayed active for more than a year, examining whether Roberts should be charged with felony animal cruelty.
Ultimately, Melinkovich turned the decision to indict Roberts over to a grand jury — a rarely used tool in the state court system that gave the county attorney subpoena power and the ability to examine witnesses who weren’t otherwise willing to testify.
The grand jury proceedings last summer occurred behind closed doors and all associated records are sealed. On Aug. 20, the 12-person panel returned a “true bill” resulting in the indictment against Roberts, charging him with a felony that could carry up to two years in jail.
The county’s prosecuting attorney did not ask Lavery that Roberts be booked into custody, nor did he ask that Roberts post a monetary bond to remain out of jail.
“I see no concerns with Mr. Roberts not remaining or returning to the area to face these charges at trial,” Melinkovich said.
Roberts’ trial is scheduled for 9 a.m. March 9.
Although the first step in the felony charges against Roberts was held virtually, a video feed of the proceedings was streamed at the Sublette County District Court.
Only five people were present in the room, and four of them were journalists. The only other member of the public who showed up was Peggy Bell, who said she was Robert’s middle school librarian.
“I support Cody 100%,” Bell said.
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