PINEDALE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge in Wyoming sentenced a man to 18 months of probation for hitting a wolf with a snowmobile before taping the wounded animal's mouth shut, bringing the creature into a rural bar, then killing it.

District Judge Richard Lavery in Pinedale sentenced Cody Roberts, 44, to probation on Wednesday, in accordance with a plea deal Roberts reached with prosecutors in February.

Lavery also fined Roberts $1,000 and ordered him not drink alcohol, enter a bar or liquor store, nor hunt or fish while on probation.

Roberts told Lavery at his change-of-plea hearing in March that he regretted what he did and apologized to his family and community.

Roberts avoided as much as two years in prison and a $5,000 fine by pleading guilty. He initially pleaded not guilty and a trial was set for March.

The incident happened in February 2024 in Daniel, a town of about 150 people, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Jackson. Condemnation and scrutiny of Wyoming laws followed the widespread circulation of photos showing the wolf with its mouth shut with tape.

Video showed the same animal lying on the floor, alive but barely moving.

Wyoming law gives wide leeway for people to kill wolves and other predators by a variety of means in the vast majority of the state. Roberts initially paid a $250 fine for illegal possession of wildlife but was indicted on the animal cruelty charge by a rare Wyoming grand jury last year.

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