In Daniel, Wyoming — population 148 — people grow up together, hunt together, ranch together and often know each other for a lifetime.
When national animal welfare groups revealed Thursday they paid a confidential informant $15,000 for helping build the felony animal cruelty case against now convicted wolf-abuser Cody Roberts, it added a new layer to one of Wyoming’s most polarizing criminal cases.
Somebody close enough to know what happened decided to say something, says a pair of animal rights groups.
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy announced Thursday that they paid a confidential informant $15,000 for providing information that “contributed meaningfully” to the successful prosecution of Roberts, whose mistreatment of a live wolf in 2024 ignited international outrage and put the tiny western Wyoming town under a microscope.
The organizations say the informant came forward “at great personal risk,” adding that without that person’s cooperation, the case “likely never would have advanced to indictment and conviction.”
Local authorities, however, are saying little publicly about the witness, including if the informant is from Wyoming or the nature of the information passed on about Roberts.
Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich declined to discuss the extent of witness cooperation while Roberts still retains the right to appeal his conviction and sentence.
Roberts was sentenced last month to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to felony animal cruelty. Under the terms of his sentence, he faces possible prison time if he violates probation conditions.
Melinkovich acknowledged the unique pressures surrounding a case that exploded far beyond western Wyoming.
“It’s been interesting,” he told Cowboy State Daily, noting that he attended elementary school with Roberts. “It’s a small, small town.”
Somebody Talked
Long before the whistleblower revelation surfaced, the case had already strained relationships and divided residents over whether Roberts’ abuse of the wolf crossed a line or whether the national outrage spiraled beyond proportion.
The case eventually drew worldwide attention, flooding the court with messages from across the globe and becoming so high-profile that the local judge recused herself from the proceedings.
The original incident erupted into headlines after Roberts was photographed displaying a live wolf with its mouth taped shut after allegedly running the animal down with a snowmobile.
He reportedly took the animal to a local bar, where it was tormented before Roberts took it out back and shot the animal.
The case initially resulted in a $250 Wyoming Game and Fish citation before public backlash intensified and \a felony animal cruelty charge was later pursued.
At Roberts’ sentencing hearing in April, Judge Richard Lavery emphasized that while Wyoming law allows predators such as wolves to be killed, “it can’t be done in a cruel manner.”
The Invisible Line
Now the newly disclosed whistleblower payment shines a light on how the case came together behind the scenes.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action, said the organizations believe the witness played a critical role in securing accountability.
“Cases like this come to light only when brave individuals step forward,” Pacelle said in a statement. “Without that individual’s willingness to come forward, Cody Roberts may not have been convicted.”
Authorities have declined to say whether witness testimony would have been essential to the prosecution had Roberts gone to trial or whether multiple people cooperated with investigators.
Melinkovich also declined to elaborate while the appeal process remains open. Still, the revelation has added another wrinkle to a case that became about far more than a wolf.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
