Sublette County law enforcement officials are moving forward with a long-delayed legal case that may culminate in a felony animal cruelty indictment of Cody Roberts for his capture and treatment of a wounded wolf in February 2024.
Specifically, a grand jury is being convened to consider the indictment, WyoFile has confirmed with several sources knowledgeable about the proceedings. Summonses have been issued to select a 12-person jury, subpoenas to witnesses are going out imminently and a decision about whether to indict is expected sometime in August, according to the sources.
State wildlife officials cited and fined Roberts last year for illegal possession of wildlife — a misdemeanor — after learning he allegedly struck a young wolf with a snowmobile, taped the hurt animal’s jaw shut and showed it off at a bar in the western Wyoming town of Daniel. But critics complained that he should have faced more severe criminal consequences for allegations that drew global outrage and even a tourism boycott of Wyoming.
Roberts has never commented publicly on the incident. WyoFile’s past attempts to reach him have failed.
Convened perhaps once a decade in the state court system, grand juries are a seldom-used tool that statutorily are kept secret and confidential, said Pat Crank, a former Wyoming attorney general. One purpose of the secrecy is to protect the innocent’s identity, he said, but the structure also allows investigations to advance with subpoena power and without witness tampering, interference and hiding and destruction of evidence.
“A grand jury gives you investigative tools that you don’t have prior to charging,” Crank told WyoFile. “That’s why grand juries are such an amazing tool to ferret out criminality.”
The subpoena power grand juries equip prosecutors with can be especially handy in compelling witness accounts. Crank said he doesn’t know Sublette County prosecuting attorney Clayton Melinkovich, nor was he familiar with Melinkovich’s reasoning, but he surmised the grand jury was related to the difficulty of getting witnesses to speak with authorities.
“None of those people in that bar who watched him do all that bullshit that he did to that poor wolf are going to rat off this asshole and then be a pariah in Sublette County the rest of their life,” Crank said. “I’m guessing that’s probably why he [the prosecutor] did it.”
Reached over the phone last week, Melinkovich told WyoFile he could not say if a grand jury was convening, and he offered no comment.
Back in March, the county attorney explained that the investigation against Roberts was still proceeding more than a year after the fact. Specifically, he said, the county was exploring a charge of felony animal cruelty.
“The statute says ‘an animal,’ and ‘an animal’ includes a predatory animal,” Melinkovich said at the time.
The county attorney cited the Wyoming Criminal Code, which has an exemption for predatory species in the animal cruelty laws, but only for hunting purposes. A person who takes captive and abuses a predatory animal is not fully exempt from the felony animal cruelty laws, he said.
The same criminal code also outlines the grand jury process. To indict, at least nine members of the 12-person panel must agree to bring charges. If an indictment is returned, charges are guaranteed — it immediately becomes the charging document.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department took the lead in responding to the Feb. 29, 2024 incident. The agency’s investigation and subsequent citation were quickly adjudicated without public notice: Roberts, a Daniel resident, was fined $250 for possessing the wolf, though the investigating wardens could have issued steeper penalties and sent the case to court, but declined to take that step.
When Roberts’ stunt with the injured wolf became public a month later, with photos of him and the injured wolf splashed across the internet, the incident became an international source of outrage. Wyoming even convened a “Treatment of Predators Working Group,” which included some members of the Legislature, and that group workshopped a bill intended to deter the torture of predatory animals. That bill proved unpopular and went nowhere, but Jackson Republican Rep. Andrew Byron subsequently spearheaded, and the Legislature passed, the so-called Clean Kill Bill, which stiffened penalties for torturing predatory animals that were in a person’s possession.
Crank, the former Wyoming attorney general, played a role in crafting and passing the legislation. Because Roberts’ actions occurred before the law was crafted, if he’s indicted, he wouldn’t be subject to the stiffened penalties, which took effect on July 1.
Although the grand jury process has begun, it’s not yet common knowledge in Sublette County. Dave Stephens, a county commissioner, had not heard of the confidential proceedings when he spoke with WyoFile on Tuesday night at Pinedale High School, where U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman was holding an unrelated town hall meeting. Most locals, Stephens said, are ready to be done with the ugly incident at the Green River Bar.
“They just wanted it to go away, wish it hadn’t happened, don’t want the publicity,” Stephens said.
But other parties are welcoming the new legal development. Wyoming Wildlife Advocates Executive Director Kristin Combs, who lobbied in Washington, D.C. in response to the wolf-torture incident, was “really pleased” to learn of Sublette County’s progress toward a prosecution.
“I’m really looking forward to what comes out of the grand jury proceedings,” Combs said. “Hopefully justice will be served.”
I really hope this evil sadist is prose diluted to the full extent of the law. What he did is sickening, and the people who support him are psychotic. How can anyone gain pleasure from such blatant cruelty and torture unless they are seriously nasty. He has no place in any society. He is a dangerous,evil man and if this is a reflection of this town it should be erased. Thank God for the people speaking out against this monster. 30 years jail time would not be enough.
Maximum sentence possible please. Clear psychopath in action. This cannot be viewed as local culture. And if so, what a sad , backward culture that is.Thank you all.
I saw in Sublette County planning and Zone Board meeting minutes a Cody Roberts associated with a Holly Roberts. Is his wife Holly Roberts? A Sublette County Commissioner?
The lack of concern is why I never will visit Wyoming. That translates as hostility towards wildlife.
Cody Roberts should be indicted and convicted. He is guilty ~ he admitted his actions; even boasted about them, including posting pictures. His acts were cruel and unnecessary. WY needs to stiffen the laws moving forward. Even in the absence of laws during the time of the incident, he needs to be held accountable ~ his actions were diabolical and indictive of a psychopath. I rode in protest of him on 6/14/25 through Daniel, WY with Hogs for Hope. There was practically no one there in his defense; he wasn’t even there. It goes to show that even people in his home town and “frequent” visitors of the bar do not support him. How can any support that kind of evil?
A man who mistreats animals is not a good man.
For the past 17 years, the denizens of the infamous Green River Bar, including ownership, have been yukking it up over each online article regarding the wolf abuse. They took up a collection to pay for the $250 joke of a G and F fine, erected a banner on the front of the bar proclaiming “Cody Roberts Days – God Bless America” and have generally been experiencing a good time over the aftermath of the event. This all goes to show you what kind of a bar, it’s ownership and patrons are like. But now, with the grand jury convening I will bet they aren’t laughing now. Cody Roberts & immediate family, Auntie Ivie-Roberts and owner Nan McKeough better grab onto something and HOLD TIGHT. Another thing, how can a bar operator, that allows a patron to bring in a severely injured wild animal, possibly laden with diseases and carrying ticks and fleas, bleeding all over the floor, let this animal be in the bar for over 3 hours be allowed to maintain both a health certificate and a liquor license? Where were YOU, Sublette Co. Health Dept and State Liquor Department? You see, it just isn’t a dimwit Cody Joe Roberts situation and several parties need to be held accountable
Excellent point!
Absolutely disgusting behavior to torture and parade a wild living being. I hope it is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law! Inexcusable. Wolves are a vital component to a healthy ecosystem.
Animal cruelty is a sign of psychological issues and one who does such is a threat to society. Period.
Hunting can be ethical however this individual should have any and ALL rights revoked.
Unfortunately, the initial investigation into this disgusting act of cruelty was so inept that I’m not sure justice will be served. That wolf should have been recovered from the dumpster and necropsied to document her injuries.
Another comment. Wolves kill livestock including valuable cows, which is why they are hated enough to be tortured in a bar where no patrons seemed to think there was anything wrong with that. For everybody still ringing hands over this, your best revenge is Stop Eating Beef which Eric Topol, the science -based author of Super Aging, says is one of the worst things for anyone who hopes to live to a ripe old age.
Imagine someone doing that to a dog. What’s the difference? Anyone who could do this to any animal is a danger to society.
Can someone, somewhere in Wyoming grow a set of balls and do the right thing? I understand people being unwilling to come forward to testify in public. When everything is said and done, those witnesses still have to live there….but how do we get past the fear of reprisal. I’m afraid that when the smoke clears, nothing will happen. And that’s exactly why people don’t want to speak up. Face it folks……..Somebody at the County Sheriff’s office, so by direct correlation also the County Attorney’s office, knew about this fiasco long before it ever was reported by KHOL and they chose to do nothing. We might live in fly over country, but we don’t live in a vacuum.
Please prosecute all the people involved in this case of animal abuse. We as a civilized country cannot let this go unpunished. It teaches our children the wrong way to treat living creatures and each other. We can make a difference for the next animal if we have stronger laws and enforce them.
Last winter, while dining out with friends in Cody, Wyoming, there was a group of people in one of the center tables. One individual (a guy) looked awfully familiar with that glazed look, loud laughs and goofy smirk. Someone in our party recognized this clown as being Mr. Snowmobile Wolfer Tough Guy himself, Cody Roberts. We all started looking at the guy and he got very cognizant of our attention and that stupid smirk left his face pretty quick. As we finished our meal, paid and started leaving I gave Roberts the DeNiro “I’m watching you” pointing at my eyes and then straight to him. Yep, deservedly the most hated scoundrel in Wyoming and with this Grand jury convening ole’ Cody Roberts better be able to contain his smirk. We’re watching you, Cody, all of us
While the focus of this grand jury will be idiot Cody Roberts, some other people need to be concerned, too. Don’t be surprised if some of Roberts’ accessories in the crime get charged and an individual who should be very worried is the owner of the Green River Bar (and also was working there that sad night), Nan McKeough. The gist of the potential indictments are going to be centered around felony animal abuse and an individual who both witness the bar antics and was in position to either stop it or call the authorities (Nan) could be charged with felony accessory. Ms. McKeough better rob the tip jar and get the best defensive attorney that she can…….and I don’t think a registered felon can possess a liquor license. Possible jail time, big lawyer fees and high $ court finds are heading it’s way to Daniel, Wyoming
Your concern for animal suffering seems a little one sided. How about the suffering of the calf, lamb, colt etc that the wolf killed or was going to killed. How about the lambs, calves, colts, dogs, cats owned and loved by humans? Do they niot deserve some consideration, nor any for their owners?
Let’s see, running over an animal with a snowmobile / taking the severely injured animal home / instead of rendering aid or putting animal out of it’s misery / put a shocking collar on animal, taping its mouth and attaching a leash to it / parade the injured animal into a backwater, inbred degenerate sh!thole bar / pose with animal for cute photos and videos / mocking and taunting the injured animal / kiss the injured animal – all on camera / supposedly then take the injured animal out behind the bar and shoot it. Yea, Marion, great comparison of stupid brutality to nature. you’ve tried to paint this analogy several times in the comments section. As usual, you’re once again on the wrong side of this subject but hey, if it makes you feel better, why don’t you donate $250 to Cody Roberts and make him whole after paying the joke of the Game and Fish Dept fine.
The predatory animals in this sad story are humans .
The way we treat animals, whether wild or domesticated, in general reflects who we are as human beings. A community must exert pressure to prevent cruelty whether to its members, its wildlife, or livestock.
Is your concern for the way animalls are treated for the domestic animals eaten or torn apart by that wonderful wolf? I suspect they suffer some also.
But Marion that is nature’s way. What happened in the bar is human travesty. Actually cows invite wolves.
This person belongs behind bars. Anyone who tortures another is mentally unstable. As sick and twisted as his actions were, the on lookers are to blame also. I understand that in the area, wolves are looked upon as predators and vermin to be shot but that does not excuse this heinous behavior. Put him away!
The only thing surprising in the comments is the fact that people actually expected Wyoming Game and Fish Department to do anything meaningful. The G&F Commission and by extension the department, have long been in the hip pocket of the ranching interests. Did any of the wardens who responded to the corner crossing incident cite Fred or any of his employees for Hunter Harassment? Of course they didn’t and trust me, had an animals rights group behaved in the same manner they would have been charged.
Mark, game and fish always has the backs of the big landowners. If you and I have a scrimmage in a Fred Eshelman type of scenario, game and fish will have the backs of the landowner, always. Not sure why they covered up for Cody Roberts and issued the least problematic charge and fine, this jack@ss was an easy target but perhaps Roberts has some kind of ties to one of game and fishes pet landowners. Former director Brian Nesvik and assistant Rick King really messed up the once good morals of this department
Hopefully, justice will prevail and as Mr. Crank accurately described him, Cody Roberts will get what he deserves for the heinous act of cruelty that he committed on a helpless animal.
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Worland just successfully prosecuted a dog cruelty case with far more severe penalties than was seen with this wolf. What’s the difference? Cruelty is cruelty and it is evil. This shouldn’t even be questioned.
How long is the beating of this guy going to keep on???? I do not know him, but lets face it wolves are not sacred. He has already paid a huge price to that. What we don’t know is how many 4-H and FFA lambs made it to show and sales because this wolf was not alive and killing other animals, including shwo animals.
How has this demented thrillbilly paid a huge price aleady? 250 bucks for the laughs that keeps on giving in the Green River crap hole Bar? Marion, from your support of welfare ranchers keeping people off of public land to backing the twisted antics of a very sick individual down in Daniel, you’re consistently on the wrong side of an issue. But keep commenting and we’ll keep laughing!
By whose definition are “wolves not sacred” ? All life is sacred if one believes in a Creator. As for your empathy for Mr. Roberts, since you admit you don’t know him, it’s hard to conceive how you know anything about the “huge price” he has already paid. Other commenters say the bar’s customers got well over $250 in laughs, and they likely chipped in to help the poor man pay his fine! Spare your empathy for something or someone worthy of it, like starving children in Gaza!
paid a “huge price”, ,the guy got a slap on the wrist for torturing an animal and bragged about only getting a $250.00 fine which he proudly claimed “i would do it again” and bought everyone drinks that night. Would you want him around your kids, grandkids???? not me – guys mentally unstable – whatever you think, your need to protect a person who tortured an animal is a little weird to me, but have a nice day!
Hopefully he gets harassed for the rest of his days and then some.
I could not be happier that Wyoming has taken this step. This cannot be allowed to happen again. Cody Roberts absolutely needs to go to jail. Thank you for keeping the story alive.
Please note the shock collar on the wolf in the lead picture of this article. They didn’t just show off the wolf in the bar they used electric shocks to continue to torture it. Really really sickening.
I’ll bet Cody is shaking in his boots! You watching him.
How can any sane human being torture a living creature? He should be made an example of to all other would be cruel and heartless people.
Let’s hope this grand jury isn’t just smoke and mirrors. Cody deserves prison time. There is no need for animal cruelty.
SHAMEFUL, DISGRACEFUL, CRIMINAL! The endangered wildlife abuser POS Cody Roberts MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS HENIOUS ACT OF CURLTY AGAINST OUR PRECIOUS ENDANGERED WILDLIFE! LOCK HIM UP!
I can tell you this, the ‘good’ folks at this shady establish got $250 worth of laughs regarding that weak sauce Game and Fish fine, matter of fact they’re still giggling over this horrid event. This isn’t just a Cody Roberts problem, the deep issue is about the inbred thrillbillyism of the patrons of Green River Bar and the rest of Daniel, Wyoming. This ordeal has been a puss filled abscess festering but maybe a grand jury criminal indictment along with a big fat felony on the record will wipe that smirk off of the faces of Cody & Co. As a Wyomingite I urge all to stay far away from this armpit.
however long it takes, justice needs to be served for this animal and for determent of future acts of cruelty and torture… a precedence must be set and adhered to that any torture, mutilation or despicable brutal acts not be tolerated and punishment achieved no matter how long it takes,
I truly hope he faces actual punishment. I don’t care if it’s a predator or not, taking pleasure in hurting ANY animal is a serious problem! He and anyone else that allowed/accepted the abuse happening deserve to be punished!
The actions of this man have outraged any moral decent person. Justice must be served and an example made of this widely publicized and shocking case of cruelty.
Put this cruel sadist away…society does not need such barbaric minds in its presence. The most sickening story which left me with nightmares
Remember back when we were stealing, forcibly taking and swindling the Native Americans out of their land… and we called THEM savages? Turns out there was a bunch of savages in the Green River Bar that night. Those people must have some dark hearts to not come forward and testify to what they saw.
If you’re afraid of retribution for your testimony and that actually happened, you might want to assess WHY you would live in a community that would ostracize you for telling the truth.
A key piece of evidence that may not come before any grand jury is a summary of post-mortem injuries sustained by the wolf abused by Mr. Roberts. That’s because, so far as I know, none was done. If this assumption is correct, it speaks volumes to how seriously WGFD’s upper management took the incident, which only came to light because of an alert journalist. Readers may recall a press release issued by the department shortly after the incident became public. The release stated that “we’re satisfied that every tool we have available was used, and used to the best of our ability. The Department has acted with transparency and in compliance with Wyoming law.”
I don’t think that is accurate.
I wrote on April 18 and again on April 24 2024 to Richard Ladwig, then president of the Game and Fish Commission. I suggested it would be helpful in any legal proceedings for a board-certified pathologist to perform a forensic autopsy with a chain-of-custody protocol. It would document the severity and extent of the wolf’s physical injuries, including photographs of significant lesions.
There was no response from Mr. Ladwig.
As repulsive as those photos of Cody Roberts kissing that female wolf out in public, it makes you wonder what he did to her in private. Regardless, a sick, twisted individual and if Roberts thinks this case is behind him, it’s just getting warmed up baby!
Wow, Mr. Pat Crank didn’t hold back in describing Cody Roberts! Everyone who was in the sh_thole bar that infamous night should be subpoenaed, including the inbred relatives such as Ms. Ive-Roberts posing with her mouth taped shut along with the proprietor, who was there that night for the “event” that lasted hours and didn’t do a thing. Another thing, why didn’t that place get shut down by the health inspector after a bleeding wild animal that could be carrying fleas and ticks was brought into the establishment? One doesn’t need to go to the far into the backwoods of the Appalachians to find backward hillbillies….we’ve got’em by the dozens in Daniel, Wyoming.
I’m skeptical though because Wyoming has a track record of being backwards. If something like this is done to cow, deer, elk, oh yeah they will rush to convict but if it is a wolf, they practically get off to the details of the killing while they let Jethro and Billy Bob walk.
Please prosecute this brutal mean person to the FUll extent of the law.this kind if heinous behavior must not go unpunished.send Cody TO prison
Well, THAT only took a year and a half.
Where’s the traditional Wyoming frontier justice when you really need it ?
My thoughts exactly. Where’s the nearest tree?