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.

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Latest from Clair McFarland

Tharles Smith, an 18-year-old Campbell County man who plunged a knife into his mother’s back last year was sentenced Tuesday to between 20 and 30 years in prison. After he stabbed his mother, Karla Smith, he told her that “you have a knife in your back” and “I stabbed you."

‘I Stabbed You’: 20-30 Years For Wyoming Teen Who Plunged Knife Into Mom’s Back

An 18-year-old Campbell County man who plunged a knife into his mother’s back last year was sentenced Tuesday to between 20 and 30 years in prison. After he stabbed his mother, he told her, “You have a knife in your back” and “I stabbed you."

Clair McFarlandSeptember 02, 2025

A view of the terminal at the Sheridan County Airport.

13-Year-Old Girl Dead, Three Hurt In Bighorn National Forest Plane Crash

A 13-year-old girl was found dead and three people were injured and airlifted to care Monday after a plane crash in the Bighorn National Forest. The plane, which is registered to a Sheridan man, crashed about eight minutes after leaving Sheridan's airport.

Clair McFarlandSeptember 02, 2025

Fremont County Sheriff's Detective Wes Barry (second from right, in a hat) speaks with other investigators on the scene of a death investigation Saturday morning, Aug. 23, 2025, north of Riverton.

Man Arrested After Casper Standoff Wanted In Stabbing Death Of Riverton Youth

The man Casper police arrested Wednesday after negotiating his surrender is the suspect in the fatal stabbing of a male juvenile last Saturday near Riverton. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday evening Alejandro Behan, 22, has been charged.

Clair McFarlandAugust 30, 2025

Interim U.S. Attorney for Wyoming Darin Smith during a press conference Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, to outline an operation on the Wind River Reservation this week.

90 FBI Agents Swarm Wyoming Reservation For Drugs, Guns Sweep

The FBI had at least 90 personnel on the Wind River Indian Reservation this week as part of a sweeping drug and gun bust, federal authorities said Friday. Interim U.S. Attorney for Wyoming Darin Smith said the message is clear: “We’re coming for you."

Clair McFarlandAugust 29, 2025

Brief: Missing 21-Year-Old Found Dead On Wind River Reservation

Searchers found the body of a missing 21-year-old man Monday on the Wind River Indian Reservation, a federal police agency confirmed Friday.

Clair McFarlandAugust 29, 2025

Daniel McMichael, Anyssa Zancanella, and their daughter Azaylee won’t actually receive the nearly $1 billion in damages a Utah judge ordered a hospital to pay them, due to statutory caps on pain and suffering damages. If all goes well with collections and the hospital doesn’t appeal, the family is looking at closer to $500 million in damages awarded for the botched OB care Anyssa and Azaylee received six years ago.

Judge Awards Nearly $1 Billion To Rock Springs Family Over Botched Baby Delivery

A Utah judge this month awarded nearly $1 billion in damages to a Rock Springs family after a Salt Lake City hospital botched the mother’s baby delivery. The baby suffered "horrific" injuries and is left with lifelong disabilities, court documents say.

Clair McFarlandAugust 29, 2025

Wyoming Lawmakers Drafting Legislation To Ban Cloud Seeding For 10 Years

After nearly four hours of passionate testimony, a legislative committee voted Thursday to draft legislation that would halt cloud seeding programs in Wyoming for 10 years, and ban geoengineering.

Clair McFarlandAugust 29, 2025

Now Even A Rock Is Demanding The Release Of The Epstein Files

An oft-painted rock south of the Wyoming-Colorado border is demanding the release of the Epstein files. So are Wyoming leaders on both sides of the political aisle, left and right.

Clair McFarlandAugust 28, 2025

Taft Love (upper left), Roy Birt (center left), Jeff Barnes (lower left), Darin Smith (right)

Wyoming Senate District 6 Finalists Share Values But Differ On Legislative Approach

The three contenders for the Wyoming Senate seat vacated by Darin Smith are all pro-life, pro-ICE, and pro-restriction of sexual content in children’s libraries. But they differ in how they’d approach those issues.

Clair McFarlandAugust 28, 2025

A local man was shot in the arm while confronting a suspected burglar about just what was in a three-gallon bucket, after the Riverton business he 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 Oil Field Burglars Plead Guilty After Armed Standoff, Shrapnel Injury

Two men admitted to an aggravated burglary that led to a gunshot shrapnel injury and manhunt in plea agreements with prosecutors. One faces 10-30 years in prison and the other would be eligible for a youthful offender program.

Clair McFarlandAugust 27, 2025

Now A Candidate For Gov, 50-Year-Old Rule Says Eric Barlow Can’t Chair Committee

Now that state Sen. Eric Barlow has announced he’s running for governor, he’s stepped down as chairman of a state legislative committee. That’s because of a 50-year-old rule that says candidates for statewide office can’t chair legislative committees.

Clair McFarlandAugust 27, 2025

Two-thirds of Wyoming's state House on Tuesday urged President Trump to pardon Troy Lake, a 65-year-old diesel mechanic in prison for removing emissions controls. The 41 Republican House members decried agency overreach and damages from the controls.

Two-Thirds Of Wyoming House Sign Letter Urging Trump To Pardon Diesel Mechanic

Two-thirds of Wyoming's state House on Tuesday urged President Trump to pardon Troy Lake, a 65-year-old diesel mechanic in prison for stripping emissions systems from trucks. The 41 Republican House members called his prosecution EPA overreach.

Clair McFarlandAugust 27, 2025

Other Authors

Stuart Schmidt of Albany County is accused of fatally ramming a wild horse with his ATV on his own property. He Cowboy State Daily the neighbor who turned him in is retaliating over a zoning issue. The neighbor said that's not the case at all.

Albany County Man Accused Of Killing Wild Horse With ATV

An Albany County man accused of fatally ramming a wild horse with his ATV told Cowboy State Daily the neighbor who turned him in is retaliating over a land use dispute. The neighbor said that's not the case, and the act was cruel.

Clair McFarlandAugust 26, 2025

Brief: Platte County Sheriff David Russell Resigns

The Platte County Commission accepted the resignation of Sheriff David Russell on Tuesday, effective Sept. 30. A reason for his resignation wasn’t given to the public. Russell was elected sheriff in 2022 at the age of 31.

Clair McFarlandAugust 26, 2025

The Laramie County Detention Center in downtown Cheyenne.

Cheyenne Woman Arrested On Shoplifting Charge Dies In Jail

A 47-year-old woman arrested on shoplifting charges Saturday was uncooperative but otherwise seemed fine, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office says. She was later found unresponsive and died that night, the agency reported Tuesday.

Clair McFarlandAugust 26, 2025

Wyoming Senators Cheer Trump’s Order Against Flag-Burners, But Is It Legal?

President Trump’s new order calls for stricter prosecution for people who burn American flags while committing other crimes. It drew praise from Wyoming’s U.S. Senators while getting strong criticism from a leading First Amendment expert.

Clair McFarlandAugust 26, 2025

Democratic state Reps. Karlee Provenza and Mike Yin are holding town halls across Wyoming to learn which issues haunt people most. They're also riding the momentum of a political groundswell Provenza led this summer.

Wyoming Democrats Lead Statewide Listening Tour On Public Lands, Hot-Button Issues

Democratic state Reps. Karlee Provenza and Mike Yin are holding town halls across Wyoming to learn which issues trouble people most. They're also riding the momentum of a public lands outcry Provenza led this summer.

Clair McFarlandAugust 25, 2025

An airman in the U.S. Air National Guard fires a Sig Sauer M18 handgun in this file photo. The section of the U.S. Air Force that oversees the military branch’s bases is putting the Sig Sauer M18 handgun back in use, the USAF announced Sunday. It had paused the M18’s use for a month after the July shooting death of a Wyoming-based airman.

After Fatal Wyoming Incident, Sig Sauer M18 Pistol Back In Use At Air Force Bases

The section of the U.S. Air Force that oversees the military branch’s bases is putting the Sig Sauer M18 handgun back in use, the USAF announced Sunday. It had paused the M18’s use for a month after the July shooting death of a Wyoming-based airman.

Clair McFarlandAugust 25, 2025

Fremont County Sheriff's deputies taped off a quarter-mile stretch of Honor Farm Road early Saturday for an hourslong death investigation, as a body lay on the south side of the road.

Death Along Road Near Prison Farm North Of Riverton

A death Saturday morning on Honor Farm Road near the prison farm just north of Riverton brought at least a dozen law enforcement vehicles and prompted an hourslong investigation. In an update, the sheriff's office reported that a juvenile male was stabbed fatally.

Clair McFarlandAugust 23, 2025

The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house in Laramie, Wyoming.

Judge Tosses Lawsuit Against Sorority Over Wyoming Trans Member — Again

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority Friday for allowing a transgender member into its University of Wyoming chapter. It's the second time the judge has tossed the claim.

Clair McFarlandAugust 23, 2025

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

Wyoming Highway Patrol, Truckers Support Trump's Work Visa Pause For Drivers

Wyoming officials and industry leaders support the Trump administration’s pause on issuing work visas for commercial truck driving, but critics say the move targets a small group and overlooks broader trucking safety issues.

Clair McFarlandAugust 23, 2025

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