A heartless man who sparked worldwide outrage after parading a tortured, muzzled wolf through a bar before killing it has dodged jail under a controversial plea deal
A man who horrified the world by running over a wolf with a snowmobile, parading the injured animal in a bar for photos and videos, and later killing it, has avoided jail under a controversial plea deal. The ordeal sparked outrage and disbelief among animal lovers and activists.
The shocking images of the barely conscious wolf, its mouth taped shut, drew condemnation on social media, leaving people questioning the “justice”.
Cody Roberts, 44, from the small town of Daniel, Wyoming, USA, became infamous after he was accused of taping a female wolf’s mouth shut, dragging her into a bar, and posing for photos and videos with the barely conscious animal.
The disturbing crime unfolded in February 2024, with footage CBS reported in 2025. Images of the suffering wolf, left prone and hardly moving on the bar floor, led to calls for a boycott of the region’s tourism.
Roberts allegedly killed the wolf after publicly tormenting her in front of bar patrons. The initial response from local authorities was a mere $250 fine (approximately £155) for possession of warm-blooded wildlife, with officials arguing that wolves, classified as predators, were exempt from felony animal cruelty laws.
However, Sublette County law enforcement disagreed, and prosecutor Clayton Melinkovich convened a grand jury in August 2025, which indicted Roberts for felony animal cruelty. That charge could have landed him in prison for up to two years and carried a $5,000 fine (approximately £3,765), True Crime reported.
Roberts tried to have the case thrown out, claiming state law protected his actions, but a judge rejected this argument. With his trial set for March 9, Roberts instead signed a plea deal last month, Oil City News reported.
Under the agreement, he will reportedly plead guilty or no contest to one count of animal cruelty, pay a $1,000 fine (approximately £753), and serve 18 months of supervised probation instead of jail time. During probation, Roberts is banned from hunting, fishing, drinking alcohol, or entering bars and liquor stores, and must complete addiction treatment.
If he violates the terms, he reportedly faces up to two years in prison and an additional $4,000 in fines (approximately £3,012). The deal still requires a judge’s approval.
Nevertheless, the plea agreement has provoked outrage among animal lovers and campaigners. A Facebook user commented: “He tortured the Wolf and then took her life And that’s all he gets.
“Where is the justice in that.” A person wrote: “That poor wolf was thinking ‘and they call me the animal’.”
Someone else penned: “Where is Luigi when we really need him!?” A commentator exclaimed: “Time to make a trip to Wyoming !”
A netizen shared: “He needs to feel the fear and pain this beautiful wolf felt! Nothing severe ever comes from a plea deal..certainly not justice!
“Maybe karma will catch up with Cody Roberts some night when he is alone, perhaps on his way home from the bar.” A separate individual chimed in: “This is ridiculous.
“He should face longer jail time AND fine. The stricter the punishment the more it will discourage others and him from doing it again.”
Nicholas Arrivo, an attorney for Humane World for Animals, said as per KHQ: “The case reveals the serious gaps that leave wolves and other wildlife vulnerable to cruelty. Like domestic animals, wild animals are at the mercy of humans and deserve respect and legal protection.” Buckrail reports Texas-based animal-welfare activist Jonas Black said: “Of course, we all had pipe dreams of him getting jail time. Is this what we all hoped for?
“No.” Kim Bean, a Colorado-based wolf advocate, told independent news outlet WyoFile that was disappointed that Roberts likely won’t have to answer questions during a trial, and she found 18 months of probation to be light for the crime.
She said: “Our end goal has never been to put Cody Roberts in prison. Our end goal is to make changes in the laws in Wyoming and to show that this should not be happening.
“There should be laws against this.”
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