Cody Roberts, 44, is accused of taping the wolf’s mouth shut after he ran her over, then taking the injured animal into a bar in Daniel, Wyoming, a town of about 150 people, on Feb. 29, 2024. Photos he took showed the wolf hardly moving, CBS reported in 2025.
Roberts was indicted on federal animal cruelty charges by a grand jury on Aug 20, 2025. He filed a motion in December 2025 to have the case dismissed due to the broadness of Wyoming law and the fact that the state gives wide leeway to killing predators.
CBS News reports Roberts’ trial is set to begin on March 9. If convicted, he would face up to two years in prison as well as a $5,000 fine. On Feb. 17, he signed a proposed plea deal to plead guilty or no contest to one count of animal cruelty.
Buckrail reports a judge still must agree to the deal and that would happen at a later date.
Yellowstone Public Radio reports that if Roberts violates the plea agreement, he will not be allowed to withdraw his plea and will be sentenced without the protections detailed in the agreement.
KHQ reports that according to Nicholas Arrivo, an attorney for Humane World for Animals, “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.”
CBS reports that no hearing date for the plea deal has yet been set, and the trial remains scheduled.