Sheriff to investigate Wyoming wolf abuse allegations following global outrage

Update: After this story was published, Wyoming Game and Fish on Wednesday evening released video evidence collected as part of its investigation into Cody Roberts’ possession of a live wolf. You can read that story here.

The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Wednesday it has opened an investigation into allegations a Wyoming man captured and abused a wolf in February.

The announcement follows global outrage over accusations Daniel resident Cody Roberts ran down the wolf with a snowmobile, taped its mouth shut and brought it to his home and the Green River Bar to show it off before killing it behind the establishment.

“Our office, along with the Sublette County Attorney’s Office, are working with Wyoming Game and Fish to gather evidence and information relevant to the case,” the statement from the sheriff’s office reads. “As this is an active investigation, we will not be able to release any details at this time.”

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department already investigated the incident earlier this year and cited Roberts for violating a law prohibiting the possession of wildlife, for which he paid a $250 fine. The fact that Game and Fish officials did not disclose the investigation at the time, as well as the fact that Roberts wasn’t punished beyond a relatively small fine, has stoked widespread anger over the case.

Global outrage

Then came a photo obtained by Cowboy State Daily that appears to show Roberts, a beer in one hand, smiling for the camera with his arm around the wolf, which has its mouth taped shut. Soon, the story received coverage in outlets like the New York Post and the British newspaper The Guardian.

The worldwide outrage has resulted in thousands of calls and emails to Sublette County authorities. A number of people have even made violent threats, according to the sheriff’s office statement.

“Please understand that such actions endanger the lives and the peace of the residents of Sublette County, State and County employees, and innocent people outside Sublette County not at all involved in the situation,” the sheriff’s office said. “Threats of violence against Mr. Roberts or his family are also not appropriate. Additionally, expressions of violence and harassment can also result in hindering law enforcement investigations as potential witnesses choose not to come forward or cooperate for fear of retribution.”

The sheriff’s office said it understood that people were angry, but asked the public to refrain from overwhelming the sheriff’s office and the county’s communications center.

The sheriff’s office said it was unaware of the situation until the story went viral last week. Game and Fish, it added, rightfully handled the initial investigation since it involved wildlife.

Roberts, for his part, has not spoken publicly about the allegations. He declined to talk with a reporter from Jackson community radio station KHOL, which broke the story, and could not be located when a WyoFile reporter sought to interview him at his residence 

Prosecutor responds

The anger spurred by the Roberts’ case led to a torrent of emails directed at the Sublette County Attorney’s Office, according to the agency. That prompted County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich, the local prosecutor, to compose a written response that he said he’s been sending out to people who email his office. He shared a copy of the response with reporters on Wednesday.

In the email, Melinkovich addressed the $250 fine that Roberts paid after being cited for illegal possession of wildlife. 

“Many people have voiced their concern by saying that punishment does not fit the crime that many feel he has committed,” the prosecutor acknowledged. That type of citation, he noted, is similar to a traffic ticket: It could be resolved merely by paying the fine and neither his office nor the sheriff’s office knew about it at the time.

Melinkovich also pointed out that the wolf was killed in a designated predator zone, where there’s no requirement for a wolf hunting license, no seasonal limitations and no restrictions on method of dispatch. In fact, there are virtually no rules governing how and when wolves, coyotes, jackrabbits and other designated predators can be killed in such areas. The prosecutor also noted that running down a wolf on a snowmobile is legal in Wyoming, and said the abuse allegations were so far based on anonymous sources from a media report. 

In the wake of the allegations, various wildlife groups and advocates have called on Wyoming lawmakers to toughen laws surrounding animal abuse, especially as they relate to predators such as wolves. But Melinkovich left open the possibility that he could act based on the state’s existing statutes.

“While many of the animal abuse provisions do not apply to the hunting, capture, killing, or destruction of a predatory animal, there are narrow circumstances where a person could be charged and convicted of animal abuse,” he wrote. “I cannot and will not comment on any pending investigation.”

Groups that think more should be done aren’t waiting around. The advocacy group Wolves of the Rockies, for instance, is buying ads in the Pinedale Roundup touting a $500 reward for videos and photos of the wolf at the Green River Bar. As of Wednesday afternoon, that reward offer had not yielded any new imagery or footage, a staffer told WyoFile, and they intend to soon increase the dollar amount offered.

A Change.Org petition demanding felony charges against Roberts had collected nearly 72,000 signatures as of late Wednesday afternoon.

Mike Koshmrl contributed to this report.