PINEDALE, Wyo. — On Monday, Daniel resident Cody Roberts pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of animal cruelty in Sweetwater County District Court following a widely publicized 2024 incident in which he allegedly ran down a wolf with a snowmobile, brought the injured animal inside a bar and tormented it before shooting it.
Roberts entered the plea before Judge Richard Lavery. A grand jury indicted Roberts in August, and he faces up to two years in prison. The trial is set to begin on March 9, 2026, in Sublette County. Proceedings are expected to be livestreamed, according to WyoFile.
The Roberts saga has prompted the public, animal rights groups and environmental organizations to lobby for stricter predator cruelty laws. Federal lawmakers pursued new legislation, the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act, to prohibit the intentional killing of wolves, coyotes and other wildlife with a snowmobile on federal lands. The SAW Act failed to gain traction due to pressure from the ranching industry, according to the Associated Press. Earlier this year, Gov. Mark Gordon signed HB0275 – Treatment of animals into law, which prohibits the torture and possession of wildlife.
“This case has spotlighted the gaps in Wyoming’s laws that allow animals, especially predators like wolves, to be treated cruelly and inhumanely,” Wyoming Wildlife Advocates Executive Director Kristin Combs said in a statement.
