Crime and Courts Reporter

Clair McFarland

Clair McFarland is a general assignment reporter for Cowboy State Daily and is based in Riverton, Wyoming. She specializes in crime and court reporting and social issues coverage. Clair also writes a twice-monthly column on motherhood and country living.

Previously, Clair wrote for The Ranger, the Lander Journal and the Wind River News. She is an award-winning journalist, columnist and poet, who joined Cowboy State Daily on Valentine's Day, 2022.

Follow Clair McFarland

Latest from Clair McFarland

'Poor' Chance Of Settlement In Jackson Hospital Lawsuit Over Gangrene Death

A lawsuit brought against a Jackson-based hospital over the gangrene death of an illegal immigrant has a “poor” chance of reaching a settlement, according to a Thursday filing in the case.

Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2025

Wrong-Way Driver Shuts Down I-90 With Claim Of Bomb In Vehicle

A Gillette man drove the wrong way on Interstate 90 three times Thursday as he led law enforcement on a 70-95 mph chase. He then claimed there was a bomb in his vehicle, but it turned out to be a possibly drug-induced perception of loose and exposed wires.

Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2025

Hageman Wants To Halt Student Visas For Colleges In ‘Sanctuary Cities’

Harriet Hageman introduced a bill Thursday to keep student visas from being issued in “sanctuary” cities that don’t cooperate with ICE. She says it’s a response to those “who seek to elevate the interests of foreign nationals above our own citizens.”

Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2025

Secretary of State Chuck Gray testified Thursday in Lander before the legislative Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee about election reform. An electronic voting machine is to the right, used during a mock election during the meeting.

Chuck Gray Supports 22 New Election-Reform Bills, Committee To Study 10

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray expressed support for 22 election-reform bills during a meeting with legislators Thursday in Lander. The committee chose to take up 10 for study, ranging from requiring photo-identification to random hand counts.

Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2025

Feds Don't Believe Sheridan Cop Killer Stole Guns From His Mom

A federal prosecutor Wednesday voiced skepticism of a Wyoming woman’s claims that her son stole her guns before he killed a Sheridan police sergeant in February 2024. She’s accused of buying the guns for her son, who is a convicted felon.

Clair McFarlandMay 08, 2025

Two Fremont County men in their 20s are accused of trashing the post office of tiny Kinnear, Wyoming, early Monday morning. They were found afterward, passed out in a running truck, court documents say.

Man Accused Of Trashing Kinnear Post Office Faces Less Time Under Federal Charge

Federal charges against the man arrested on suspicion of trashing the Kinnear post office may mean a lighter sentence compared to state charges. His case was moved to federal court Monday.

Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2025

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, left, sparred with Colorado Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse on Monday over renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

Hageman Spars With Colorado Democrat Over 'Gulf of America' Renaming

A Colorado Democrat sparred with Wyoming’s U.S. House representative Monday over whether renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America should be a priority. Hageman says Wyomingites support President Trump’s agenda, and that’s part of it.

Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2025

A 47-year-old man from Florida was gored when he approached too close to a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Sunday. The National Park Service reported the goring Wednesday, confirming it’s the first of the season after two gorings in 2024.

Florida Man Is First Bison Goring Of The Season At Yellowstone National Park

A 47-year-old man from Florida was gored when he got too close to a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Sunday. The National Park Service reported the goring Wednesday, confirming it’s the first of the season after two gorings in 2024.

Clair McFarland & Mark HeinzMay 07, 2025

Thermopolis Police Sergeant Who Triggered Fatal Shootout 2 Years Ago Resigns

The Thermopolis town council accepted the resignation of police Sgt. Mike Mascorro on Tuesday evening. Mascorro broke into a man’s home and triggered a fatal shootout two years ago. The man’s family sued Mascorro and the department last week.

Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2025

Moorcroft, Wyoming, resident Michael Hammond Jr. was picked up in Nebraska after allegedly beating his wife. During the ordeal, she reportedly got her hands on a knife and stabbed him to end an hours-long beating.

Man Who Fled Wyoming After Wife Stabbed Him Gets Plea Agreement In Beating

A Moorcroft man accused of nearly killing his wife has agreed to plead "no contest" to two counts of aggravated assault. Michael Hammond Jr. was stabbed by his wife after he launched what court documents say was a brutal and prolonged attack on her.

Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2025

Wyoming County Commissioners Association natural resource counsel Micah Christensen, left, and executive director Jerimiah Rieman presented Tuesday to the Hot Springs County Commission, after one commissioner said he wanted to break from the group. Commission Chair Tom Ryan, right, strongly opposed such a break.

Hot Springs County Commission Fight Over Split From 'Socialist' State Group

The Hot Springs County Commission is fighting over whether to become the only member to pull out of group that represents all Wyoming's counties. One member wants to because of the group's "socialist" tendencies, while the chairman strongly disagrees.

Clair McFarlandMay 06, 2025

Three 2024 University of Wyoming volleyball players are plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging a transgender player on the San Jose State University team.

Judge Says UW Athletes Suing Over Trans Player Can’t Appeal His Pronoun Rule

A Colorado federal judge has denied a group of female college athletes, including three from the University of Wyoming, a chance to appeal his transgender pronoun usage rule. They also can’t challenge his involvement in the case.

Clair McFarlandMay 06, 2025

Other Authors

Sweetwater county and sheriffs car 5 5 25

Prosecutor Says Teen Girl Accused In Bonfire Shooting Has Biker Gang Ties

A prosecutor's recent court filing says a 16-year-old girl accused of shooting two men in Sweetwater County should be tried as an adult, pointing to her suspected ties to an outlaw motorcycle gang. Her next court hearing is May 14.

Clair McFarlandMay 05, 2025

The Friday conviction of long-haul trucker Clark Perry Baldwin for murdering a women in Tennessee clears the way for his return to Wyoming for trial. His DNA has linked Baldwin to two cold-case murders in the early 1990s.

Accused Serial Killer Trucker Convicted In Tennessee, Now Headed To Wyoming For Trial

The Friday conviction of long-haul trucker Clark Perry Baldwin for murdering a woman in Tennessee clears the way for his return to Wyoming for trial. His DNA has linked Baldwin to two cold-case murders in the early 1990s.

Clair McFarlandMay 05, 2025

Man Accused Of Stealing $14 Million In Gold And Silver Strikes Plea Deal

A Las Vegas man accused of stealing about $14 million in gold and silver from a relative’s home in Lincoln County, Wyoming, pleaded no contest this week to one count of felony theft.

Clair McFarlandMay 03, 2025

Glamping tents at the base of the Tetons in affluent Teton County, Wyoming.

Wyoming Supreme Court Gives State, Not Teton County, The Win On Glamping Lease

The state of Wyoming can authorize two businesses to operate on state lands in Teton County — despite the county’s land use regulations — the Wyoming Supreme Court has ruled. That's because the state lands board authorized the business using a temporary use permit, not a long-term lease.

Clair McFarlandMay 02, 2025

A screenshot from video by Roger Merrill, a witness to a May 1, 2025, crash in Idaho just outside Yellowstone on Highway 20 that killed seven people.

Eyewitness Recounts "Very Horrific” Crash That Killed 7 Outside Yellowstone

A man who witnessed the aftermath of a fiery crash that killed seven people in Idaho just outside the west Yellowstone entrance in Montana on Thursday evening describes the scene as “very horrific.” State police are still investigating what caused the collision.

Clair McFarlandMay 02, 2025

Mom Of Sheridan Cop Killer Charged With Giving Him Guns Says He Stole Them

A woman charged with furnishing guns to her son, who then went on to shoot and kill a Sheridan police sergeant last year, says the government is withholding evidence that could show her son actually stole the guns from her.

Clair McFarlandMay 02, 2025

Fremont County Jelly-Maker Pleads Guilty To Transporting Meth From Las Vegas

A Riverton woman who sold homemade jelly at the Fremont County farmer’s market also was moving drugs, authorities say. She’s pleaded guilty to picking up meth and dumpster pot during a Las Vegas trip and bringing it back to Wyoming.

Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2025

Bobbie Watts was shot in the arm Tuesday while confronting a suspected burglar about just what was in a three-gallon bucket, after the Riverton business Watts manages was burglarized. The bullet came through the windshiled of his F-350 where his head would've been if he hadn't ducked.

Riverton Man Takes Gunshot Shrapnel While Confronting Suspected Burglars

Bobby Watts chased two burglars away from a Riverton business, helped deputies investigate, confronted one of the suspects on the road, and took some gunshot shrapnel to his upper arm Tuesday. Then he started his normal workday.

Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2025

Suspected Upton Bomb Maker Could Get Quadruple Prison Time As Feds Take Case

A man accused of setting a propane time-bomb at an Upton drilling yard has had his case switched from state court to federal. That means the potential five years in prison he could have gotten if convicted in state court has quadrupled.

Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2025

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus vows to reform the the state’s judicial branch after a federal judge threw out a lawsuit in which parents accused a school district of helping their daughter change her gender identity without her parents' knowledge.

Freedom Caucus Wants Judicial Reform After Judge Rejects Gender Transition Suit

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus vows to reform the state’s judicial branch after a federal judge threw out a lawsuit in which parents accused a school district of helping their daughter change her gender identity.

Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2025

Tracking Earbuds Helped Wyoming Trooper Catch Man Who Took Off With Utah Teen

Using tracking data from a 17-year-old girl’s earbuds, and a photograph, a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper caught a 33-year-old man Sunday accused of taking the girl from her Utah hometown without her parents’ consent, authorities say.

Clair McFarlandApril 30, 2025

In this image from Thermopolis Police Sgt. Mike Mascorro's body cam on April 28, 2023, shows Mascorro being confronted by an armed Buck Laramore after breaking into Laramore's home intending to arrest him.

Wife And Mother Of Man Killed By Thermopolis Police Officer File Lawsuit

The wife and mother of a Thermopolis man killed by police Sgt. Mike Mascorro in 2023 filed a lawsuit Monday against Mascorro and the police. They claim Mascorro broke into Buck Laramore's house illegally, touching off a shootout that killed Laramore.

Clair McFarlandApril 30, 2025

A Wyoming federal judge Monday ruled against a Rock Springs couple, Sean and Ashley Willey, who sued their local school district on claims it helped socially gender-transition their high school daughter without their knowledge or consent.

Judge Sides With Rock Springs Schools, Tosses Parents' Gender-Transition Lawsuit

A Wyoming federal judge Monday ruled against a Rock Springs couple who sued their local school district on claims it helped socially gender-transition their high school daughter without their knowledge or consent.

Clair McFarlandApril 29, 2025

Lander Man Jury Couldn’t Convict Pleads Guilty To Murder

A Lander man whose trial had ended in a hung jury pleaded guilty Tuesday in the bludgeoning death of a 57-year-old man he had invited into his home last year.

Clair McFarlandApril 29, 2025

A transient man who broke the face of a Laramie woman he dated two years ago was sentenced April 29, 2025, to a two-month jail stint, followed by an intensive probation and treatment program — with the threat of six to eight years in prison if he fails the program. David Wayne Leyba, 61, was also ordered to pay $7,734.85 in restitution for the damages he caused.

Transient Who Broke Laramie Woman’s Face Gets Strict Probation

A transient man who broke the face of a Laramie woman he dated two years ago was sentenced Tuesday to a two-month jail stint, followed by probation and treatment. The judge warned that if the man fails probation, he’ll go to prison for 6-8 years.

Clair McFarlandApril 29, 2025

Commercial truckers check in at the Cheyenne Port of Entry about 5 miles north of the Wyoming-Colorado border.

Hageman Applauds Trump Exec Order To Get Non-English-Speaking Truckers Off Roads

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman on Monday applauded President Trump's executive order designed to remove non-English-speaking truck drivers off the road. “I proudly support President Trump taking action to make our roads safer for truckers and private citizens alike," she said.

Clair McFarlandApril 29, 2025

The Platte County Courthouse in Wheatland, Wyoming.

Wheatland Man Gets Probation For Molesting 8-Year-Old Boy 40 Years Ago

The now-adult victim of a Wheatland man who molested him 40 years ago says he still lives with the consequences of being “raped 15-plus times.” Tyler Boyd, who was 14 when he abused the younger boy four decades ago, was sentenced Monday to probation.

Clair McFarlandApril 29, 2025

Rock Springs Man Who Stabbed Friend At Least 26 Times Gets 55 Years To Life

William Brewer, 34, was sentenced Monday in a Green River courtroom to between 55 years and life in prison for killing his friend in 2023. He stabbed his victim at least 26 times in what a prosecutor compared to a grizzly bear attack.

Clair McFarlandApril 29, 2025