A Wyoming hunter has been sentenced to probation after a deeply disturbing encounter with a gray wolf that drew widespread condemnation across the state and beyond.
Cody Roberts, 44, received an 18-month probation sentence from a state judge in Pinedale, Wyoming, nearly two years after the incident that sparked public outrage. The case involved Roberts hitting the wolf with a snowmobile, restraining the injured animal by taping its mouth shut, taking it into a rural bar and later killing it.
Roberts avoided prison time, but the sentence still includes probation and fines. The outcome closes a case that had become a flashpoint for criticism over the treatment of wildlife and the images associated with the incident.
According to the report, the encounter began when Roberts ran over the gray wolf with a snowmobile. After the animal was injured, he taped its mouth shut and brought it to a bar in a rural area before ultimately killing it.
The details of the case prompted strong reaction because of the condition of the wolf and the sequence of events that followed. The episode was described as disturbing and led to widespread opprobrium for Roberts.
The ruling in Pinedale marks the end of the criminal proceeding described in the source, with the judge imposing probation rather than incarceration. While Roberts will not serve jail time, the case remains notable for the attention it received and the backlash over the treatment of the animal.
The incident involving the gray wolf took place roughly two years before the sentence was handed down, making the probation ruling the latest development in a case that has drawn sustained scrutiny.
Roberts’ case has become one of the most closely watched examples of public anger over the killing of a predator in Wyoming, particularly because of the way the wounded animal was handled before it was killed.
