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
Riverton Youth Leader Charged With Molesting Girl, Says He ‘Gave In To Temptation’
A church youth leader from Riverton has been arrested on suspicion of molesting a girl younger than 12 in Florida. He allegedly told police there that he’s addicted to pornography and “gave in to temptation.”
Clair McFarlandJanuary 12, 2024
Sheridan Murder Victim Was Suspected Killer's Mom, Coroner Confirms
The Sheridan County coroner on Thursday said the 22-year-old suspected of killing 64-year-old Leonila Melvin is the victim’s son who was already in jail on drug charges when his mother’s body was discovered.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 11, 2024
Laramie High Suspends Sports On UW Campus After Teen Attacked
University of Wyoming police are investigating a report of a man dressed in black attacking a teenage girl Tuesday evening on the college’s campus. The girl, a Laramie High School athlete, wasn’t harmed, but the school has suspended practices at UW.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 11, 2024
Gillette Realtor Accused Of Stealing Identities Of Other Realtors
Accused of forging the signatures of other agents to get higher commissions on foreclosed houses, a Gillette real estate agent faces six felony charges, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 10, 2024
Sheridan Police Arrested Suspected Killer For Drugs Hours Before Finding Body
Sheridan police arrested Israel Melvin, 22, Sunday morning after reportedly finding him delusional in a restaurant bathroom full of marijuana smoke. Hours later, they found the body of a woman they believe he killed.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 10, 2024
Park County Attorney Won’t Prosecute Alleged Sex Abuse Of Kindergartner
The Park County attorney on Tuesday said he won’t prosecute the alleged sex abuse of a kindergartner, saying there are too many inconsistencies in the evidence and claims made by the girl that she was sexually abused by older students in a school bathroom.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 10, 2024
Cody Woman Accused Of Hiring Hitman To Kill Daughter's Boyfriend Pleads Not Guilty
A Cody woman accused of seeking out a hitman to kill her daughter's "controlling" boyfriend pleaded not guilty on Monday. The charge carries a penalty of life in prison with or without parole, and up to $10,000 in fines.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2024
Gillette Family Asks Court To Dismiss Librarian's Defamation Suit Over Sex Books
Saying their complaints against former Campbell County Library Director Terri Lesley were protected speech, three members of the Bennett family of Gillette are asking a federal court to dismiss Lesley's defamation lawsuit against them.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2024
Riverton City Worker Says He Found Woman Frozen To Dumpster
A Riverton City worker posted a series of videos over the weekend saying he found a woman frozen to the bottom of a dumpster in City Park. The woman went missing, and her father found her and is getting her treatment.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2024
Sheridan Woman, 64, Found Dead In Home Had Blunt-Force Trauma
Investigators converged on a Sheridan home Sunday after a 64-year-old woman died of an apparent homicide and blunt-force trauma. Police say there’s a suspect, who is "not at large," and not yet charged.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 08, 2024
Powell Ranching Family Says Child Slavery And Trafficking Claims 'Impossible’
A Powell family running a ranch for troubled teens is asking a federal court to dismiss a forced-labor lawsuit against it, saying two former teens alleging child labor and human trafficking were making “impossible” claims.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 08, 2024
Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority Argues Trans Women Are Women
The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority argued before an appeals court Wednesday that transgender women are women in defending an appeal by six members challenging the University of Wyoming chapter for admitting a transgender member.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 06, 2024
Wyoming Game And Fish Asks Court To Dismiss 'Extreme Huntress' Lawsuit
Claiming immunity from being sued federally, Wyoming's Game and Fish and its Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides are asking a federal court to dismiss a reality TV star's lawsuit against them over an illegal search.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 05, 2024
Judge Tosses Wyoming Attorney's Attempt To Keep Trump, Lummis Off Ballot
Judge Misha Westby on Thursday dismissed retired Laramie attorney Tim Newcomb's lawsuit to keep former President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis off the state's election ballots, saying the lawsuit was premature.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 05, 2024
Police Catch Saratoga Woman Accused Of Shooting Up House, Robbing Saloon
Nebraska police captured Victoria Tidball of Saratoga, Wyoming, last week, who was wanted for allegedly shooting up her boyfriend's house and Jeep, and helping a different man rob a saloon. Her suspected accomplice is still at large.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 04, 2024
Man Nabbed In Wyoming High-Speed Chase Had Been Recently Paroled After 1998 Rape
Travis Wood, the 47-year-old Utah man now in a Wyoming jail for leading police on an icy high-speed chase after Thanksgiving, was less than two months out on parole after kidnapping and reportedly raping a woman in 1998.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 04, 2024
Longtime Casper Foster Dad Charged With Sexually Abusing Children
Steven Marler, a Casper man who has been nationally recognized for being a foster father, now faces 26 criminal charges that include alleged sexual abuse of some of those children.
Dale Killingbeck & Clair McFarlandJanuary 04, 2024
Cheyenne Man Accused Of Running Over Ex-Girlfriend’s Head Blames Rumors
A Cheyenne man accused of running over his ex-girlfriend's head last month reportedly told police she spread bad rumors about him, and that he "blacked out."
Clair McFarlandJanuary 03, 2024
No Arrests Yet In Fatal Tuesday Stabbing On Reservation
One man died Wednesday morning following a reported Tuesday stabbing on the Wind River Indian Reservation. A police call log says the victim's sister's boyfriend stabbed him, but the FBI hasn't arrested anyone yet.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 03, 2024
Feds Taking, Offering Up Guns From Felon In Rock Springs Restaurant Shooting
The federal government is taking two handguns from a felon who had them illegally while he reportedly shot up a Rock Springs restaurant in September. Anyone with a valid claim can ask for a court hearing to get the guns within 30 days of the feds' final announcement.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 03, 2024
Pistol Brace Lawsuit Forges On As Wyoming And 24 Other States Sue Over Federal Rule
A federal appeals court joined a lower court Tuesday in declining to pause an ATF rule against pistol braces while reviewing Wyoming and 24 other states' lawsuit against a federal rule classifying braced pistols as illegal short-barreled rifles.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 02, 2024