Roberts sentenced to supervised probation for wolf cruelty
by Joy Ufford
April 9, 2026
Cody J. Roberts, of Daniel, was sentenced to 18 months of county-supervised probation with strict terms on April 8, 2026, after previously pleading "not guilty" to the felony charge of animal cruelty to a young gray wolf.
He was initially charged with the Feb. 29, 2024 alleged torture of an injured wild animal, a gray wolf he caught legally in Wyoming’s wolf predator zone. Roberts then took the subdued, almost motionless wolf, leashed and collared, into a local bar. It laid on the floor, muzzle duct-taped, barely reacting to human presence, until Roberts took it outside and shot it.
A secret Sublette County Grand Jury, called by Melinkovich, indicted Roberts for the felony charge last August. The charge was then filed in 9th District Court, where Judge Kate McKay passed it to Judge Lavery of Sweetwater County.
Roberts faced 18 to 24 months in prison, a $5,000 fine or both.
Roberts had pleaded not guilty at his Nov. 10, 2025, District Court arraignment via videoconference. Then on Feb. 25, 2026, Roberts, his attorney Robert Piper and prosecutor Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich posted a plea agreement they submitted to presiding Third District Court Judge Richard Lavery on Feb. 25 – almost two years after the actual incident.
Changed plea to ‘guilty’
On March 5, four days before his scheduled weeklong trial, Roberts changed his plea to "guilty" before Judge Lavery in the Pinedale courtroom. Dozens of potential Sublette County jurors were on standby. Roberts indicated he did not plan to go to trial.
Judge Lavery questioned Roberts about changing his plea and reviewed the proposed plea agreement. It stated that Piper and Melinkovich jointly recommended incarceration of 18 months to 2 years, to be suspended, and a fine of $5,000, with $4,000 suspended, in favor of 18 months of successful supervised probation.
"Agreed upon conditions of probation:
a. No hunting, including shed hunting, or fishing, whatsoever, for the entirety of probation.
b. No alcohol, or entry into or presence within bard, lounges or liquor stores.
c. Follow all recommended treatment from ASI (substance abuse) evaluation.
d. Standard and additional conditions as enumerated by the Court at the Court’s discretion."
Under the agreement, Roberts would pay mandatory court costs and assessments and a $300 Victim Compensation surcharge. The drafted plea agreement noted that Roberts understood Judge Lavery was not obligated to accept it.
Pre-sentence report
April 8, Judge Lavery said he observed Roberts during previous court hearings and the required Pre-Sentence Investigation (PSI) report filled in a lot of details about Roberts’ personal life, longtime family history and lack of significant criminal violations.
"You have a long history in Wyoming," the judge said. "The PSI gave me a lot of information about your life in Sublette County."
Melinkovich said recommending supervised probation avoided emotional "sob sister" or "vengeance" avenues. "The crime is ‘nonviolent’" per state legislation, he said. "This is not to say this case did not include violence."
A "nonviolent" felony conviction means Roberts could potentially have his rights to carry firearms and vote restored.
Judge Lavery emphasized that Roberts must successfully complete a Level 1 alcohol-abuse treatment program. "You mentioned that alcohol had a lot to do with this incident." Melinkovich said High Country Behavorial Health in Sublette County would facilitate.
Roberts also should take probation very seriously, the judge said. "I think there are some things you can get out of probation by doing it right. People either "take the bull by the horns or just flip around (and ignore strict terms). That’s usually a failed effort. ... You will invariably get caught. You can’t ask for forgiveness when you are on probation."
County supervised probation
Judge Lavery asked Melinkovich why Sublette County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Lance Gehlhausen would supervise Roberts’ probation rather than the Wyoming Department of Corrections agent at the Pinedale office. The state generally requires felony probationers to request court permission to travel out-of-state. "(The Sublette County probation officer) would be a more tailored supervision ... based on the nature of (Roberts’) business travel out of state," Melinkovich said. "Needing permission to travel out of state could limit it."
Judge Lavery disagreed, saying Roberts’ out-of-state travel will be monitored during probation; Melinkovich said he would "make sure the court has notice of intent to travel out of state."
Judge’s perspective
"I have to be honest with you, Mr. Roberts – in Wyoming, we have a long history with what to be defined as a predatory animal (including gray wolves)," Judge Lavery said. "Law says they can be taken at any time but it can’t be done in a cruel way." What happened after Roberts captured the wolf "was cruel. That was the crime in this case."
His office received "countless communications from around the world of people trying to influence the court improperly. "I can tell you it was almost entirely from people across Wyoming and across the world who objected to the cruel treatment."
Native gray wolves were extinct in Wyoming in the 1990s when federal officials and wildlife organizations pressured to reintroduce them in Yellowstone National Park, he related. "Wyoming formulated detailed legislation," including the state’s designated trophy-game management area and the separate predator zone for the growing gray wolf population. "As I look at it, our Game and Fish folks are second to none in their work they do whether for game or predators to create a front-row seat to nature. It comes with a special obligation ... to not be cruel."
‘Healing’
The only time Roberts has spoken publicly about the entire case was on March 5 when he apologized to "the community and my family" with hopes that healing could begin. Roberts declined to speak again at his sentencing. Sublette County deputies were stationed for security around the courtroom and courthouse. He and wife Holly were seated when the courtroom opened to their friends, family, public and half a dozen reporters, and escorted out ahead of those present.
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