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.
Latest from Clair McFarland

Gillette Man Accused Of Stealing Thousands In Ex-Wife’s DraftKings Winnings
A Gillette man faces a felony theft charge after thousands of dollars his ex-wife won betting on DraftKings was accidentally deposited into his bank account. The man has denied taking the money, although evidence shows it was later moved into his savings account.
Clair McFarlandJuly 22, 2024

Yellowstone Contract Worker Charged With Attacking Parks Officer After Traffic Stop
A contract worker in Yellowstone National Park is facing a potential eight years in prison on claims she jumped onto a park ranger and punched him repeatedly when he tried to separate her from her boyfriend. She was indicted on a federal charge Thursday.
Clair McFarlandJuly 19, 2024

Gillette Woman Arrested After Roommate Found Dead Next To Safe Filled With Drugs
A Gillette woman was arrested for felony drug possession after police found her 60-year-old roommate dead next to an open safe with methamphetamines inside.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2024

Casper Police Help Capture 14-Year-Old Denver Murder Suspect
Casper Police on Wednesday helped capture a 14-year-old male of Denver who went on the run after the July 10 killing of an adult male. Surveillance video and witness accounts helped identify Marquez as the suspect.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2024

Volkswagen Bug Breaks Down So Alleged Drug Dealer Can't Finish Meth Run
A Gillette drug dealer couldn’t finish his methamphetamine run from Colorado last month because his Volkswagen bug slowed to a smoke-spewing crawl when he hit Chugwater, court documents say.
Clair McFarlandJuly 17, 2024

Casper Millionaire's Son Loses Inheritance For Suing Co-Heirs
A Casper millionaire’s son lost his portion of a $4 million inheritance for suing co-beneficiaries of his father’s estate, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
Clair McFarlandJuly 17, 2024

Wyoming Man Dead In Nebraska Semi Vs. Freight Train Crash
One Wyoming man died and one was injured Tuesday after a semi truck reportedly tried to beat a train to a temporary crossing on a curved Nebraska highway.
Clair McFarlandJuly 17, 2024

Rock Springs Woman Accused Of Stealing Ex's Gun While Texting Him About It
A Rock Springs woman accused of breaking into her ex-boyfriend’s home to steal a gun while sending him suspicious text messages about it faces up to 25 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandJuly 16, 2024

Sheridan 4-Year-Old Defies Medical Odds, Awakes From Coma And Is Recovering
Doctors said 4-year-old Serafina Blue Day might not be able to talk or hear after she suffered brain damage in a two-story fall last month. But then she woke from 10-day coma and by Sunday, she'd regained her spunky personality.
Clair McFarlandJuly 16, 2024

Evanston Horse Molester Gets Maximum Sentence For Bestiality
James Botkin on Monday accepted a plea agreement giving him the maximum sentence for bestiality after he was arrested for sexually violating a horse at the Uinta County fairgrounds. He was sentenced to a year in jail.
Clair McFarlandJuly 16, 2024

Man Arrested In Alleged Sexual Abuse Of Horse In Evanston
A Texas couple said they caught a man early Monday in a stall at the Uinta County fairgrounds violating their horse. The man has been charged with one count of bestiality and faces one year in jail, if convicted.
Clair McFarlandJuly 15, 2024

A Punch Over A Parking Dispute Kills Sheridan Hockey Coach
Sheridan hockey coach Patrick Mudd died over the weekend, after he was allegedly "sucker punched" in a parking lot outside of the Sheridan WYO rodeo. The hockey community laid their sticks outside his home in mourning.
Clair McFarlandJuly 15, 2024

Game Warden Involved In Wolf Torture Investigation Charged With DUI
Herbert “Bubba” Haley, one of the game wardens who investigated the capture, torture and killing of a wolf in Sublette County was charged with driving under the influence, according to court records.
Mark Heinz & Clair McFarlandJuly 15, 2024

Clair McFarland: Finding The Right Word After The Shooting
Clair McFarland writes: "This is what we’ve come to. Instead of being a people who self-identify by our faith, our family, and our goals, we present our political identities foremost, like a cattle brand."
Clair McFarlandJuly 14, 2024

Wyoming At Least One Year Away From Offering Digital Driver's Licenses
The State of Wyoming is at least a year away from offering digital driver's licenses after the legislature authorized the use in 2020. Currently 11 states allow digital driver's licenses on phones and some allow them on watches.
Clair McFarlandJuly 14, 2024

Trump Shot At Rally, Wyoming Delegation Sends Prayers
Wyoming's congressional delegation sent prayers Saturday evening immediately after former President Donald Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania. Trump is safe, the Secret Service announced after the incident.
Clair McFarlandJuly 13, 2024

Yes, You Can Bury Grandma In The Backyard For A Tax Break In Wyoming (Kind Of)
In Wyoming generally, people can bury their loved ones on their private land and get a break on property taxes for having a "cemetery." But there's some regulatory hassle.
Clair McFarlandJuly 13, 2024

Drunk Worland Man Charged With Trying To Steal Puppy Out Of Shelter
A drunk Worland, Wyoming, man who wasn’t allowed to adopt a bulldog-mix puppy was caught allegedly cutting through a chain-link fence to steal the pup.
Clair McFarlandJuly 12, 2024

Wind River Reservation Man Accused Of Raping Runaway Girl
Accused of getting a 14-year-old runaway drunk, putting her in a chokehold and molesting her, a 32-year-old Crowheart, Wyoming, man faces a potential lifetime in prison.
Clair McFarlandJuly 12, 2024

Motorcycle Gang Rivalry Boils Over At Wyoming Truck Stop
When members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club came across a man wearing a Hell’s Angels jacket at a Wamsutter truck stop, the rivalry between the gangs boiled over. Now seven Mongols face felony charges for robbery and intimidation.
Clair McFarlandJuly 12, 2024

Biden Insists He's Fit For Office, Calls Zelensky "Putin" and Trump His "Vice President"
Wyoming’s congressional delegation said President Biden’s Thursday press conference, during which he mistakenly called former President Trump his vice president, was another failure.
Clair McFarlandJuly 12, 2024
