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
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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
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 Â
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.Â
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 Â
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
'Luckiest Kid In Sublette County' Demolishes Old Post Office With 5th-Wheel
The old post office in Marbleton, Wyoming, was demolished when a 17-year-old took a corner too fast and launched a truck and trailer through it. The owner of the building said the teen is the “luckiest kid in Sublette County” for walking away alive.
Clair McFarlandJuly 11, 2024
Rock Springs Hostage Fought Husband For Gun While Taking A Beating
A woman held hostage at gunpoint by her estranged husband fought him for the weapon while taking a beating, court documents say. The man eventually gave up, but not before terrorizing his wife and repeatedly telling her they both would die.
Clair McFarlandJuly 11, 2024
In Brief: Gillette 18-Year-Old Burned When Bucket Of Gas Spills In Car
A Gillette 18-year-old who had a bucket of gasoline in a car was burned early Wednesday morning. After gas had sloshed out of the bucket inside the car, a teen lit it on fire thinking it would burn off the spilled gas but not damage the car.
Clair McFarlandJuly 10, 2024
In Brief: Sorry, Thieves, $14 Million Treasure Stashed In Smoot Home Is Gone
Cowboy State Daily reported Tuesday about a massive $14 million heist of gold, silver and cash from a Smoot, Wyoming, home. Now the local sheriff has a message for other potential thieves: Sorry, there’s no more treasure stashed there.
Clair McFarlandJuly 10, 2024
Laramie Woman Gets 7-10 Years In Prison For Molesting Foster Teen
A Laramie woman was sentenced to 7-10 years in prison Monday after accepting a plea agreement for molesting a 14-year-old foster teen. The boy was living in a youth home where she worked, and her deal includes a reduction of sentence if she gets a GED.
Clair McFarlandJuly 10, 2024
Xanterra Worker Arrested For Mass Shooting Threat Day After Fatal Yellowstone Shootout
A Xanterra worker was arrested Monday for allegedly threatening a mass shooting a day after a fatal shootout park rangers had with another Xanterra employee. He told rangers he just “lost my cool.”
Clair McFarlandJuly 10, 2024
Man Accused Of Stealing $14 Million In Gold And Silver From Father’s Wyoming Home
A Las Vegas man is accused of stealing $14 million in gold and silver from his father’s home in Smoot, Wyoming. He reportedly told investigators he didn’t steal the treasure out of greed, he was just keeping it safe.
Clair McFarlandJuly 10, 2024
Yellowstone Gunman Was Firing Semiautomatic Weapon Toward Dining Area
The Yellowstone contract employee killed during a Fourth of July shootout with rangers had been firing a semiautomatic weapon, authorities said Tuesday. He had been firing it toward a dining area when confronted by rangers.
Clair McFarlandJuly 09, 2024
Rock Springs Man Arrested After Holding Person Hostage, Locking Children In Car
A Rock Springs man was arrested late Monday after allegedly holding someone hostage in his home and locking three kids in a car. Police say Cody Birdwell eventually surrendered and remains in jail on multiple charges.
Clair McFarlandJuly 09, 2024
Couple Charged With Bear-Spraying Woman Who Drove Through Camp
Accused of blasting a woman who drove through their campsite with bear spray and firing a 9 mm pistol toward her car in the Bridger Teton National Forest, a South Dakota couple now faces up to 10 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandJuly 09, 2024
Former Top Park Service Officials Say Yellowstone Rangers Likely Saved Many Lives
Former top National Park Service officials told Cowboy State Daily on Monday that the response of Yellowstone Park rangers to a gunman threatening a mass shooting on July 4 likely saved many lives.
Clair McFarlandJuly 08, 2024
Yellowstone Shooter Took Woman Hostage, Held Her At Gunpoint: Scanner Recording
The Yellowstone contract worker who injured a park ranger and was killed in a shootout on July 4 held a female hostage at gunpoint prior to his death, according to a recording of a "be-on-the lookout" notice aired on the Park County dispatch system hours before.
Clair McFarlandJuly 08, 2024
Yellowstone Shooter Identified, Was 28-Year-Old Contract Worker From Florida
The man who died in a shootout with Yellowstone National Park rangers on the Fourth of July was 28-year-old Samson Fussner, the Park County Coroner told Cowboy State Daily on Saturday morning.
Clair McFarlandJuly 06, 2024
Wyoming Woman Raffling Off Son's Pigs After He Allegedly Stabbed HerÂ
A Campbell County woman whose teenage son allegedly stabbed her in the back while she slept is raffling off his pigs to pay down her medical costs. Winners will receive half a hog each; butchered, cut and wrapped.
Clair McFarlandJuly 04, 2024
One Person Dead After Fourth Of July Shootout In Yellowstone
One person was killed in a shootout with a Yellowstone National Park ranger Thursday morning, after an exchange of gunfire in the Canyon Village. The ranger was injured and is now receiving medical treatment.
Clair McFarlandJuly 04, 2024
Judge Rules Wyoming Doesn't Have To Follow Biden's Trans Bathroom Rules
A federal judge Tuesday said Wyoming doesn't have to follow a new federal rule allowing males identifying as females in school bathrooms. The judge ruled that Title IX doesn't trump free speech, privacy and safety rights of girls.
Clair McFarlandJuly 03, 2024
Hemp Businesses Sue Gordon, State Of Wyoming Over New Cannabis Law
Ten Wyoming hemp businesses and one individual hemp seller on Monday asked a federal judge to declare Wyoming’s new law against synthetic cannabis variants unlawful by Congress’ standards, and to block it going forward.
Clair McFarlandJuly 03, 2024
Wyoming’s First Black Female Prison Warden Loses Hostile Workplace Lawsuit
A federal jury ruled Tuesday that the Wyoming Department of Corrections did not create an unlawfully hostile work environment for the state’s first Black female prison warden, who claimed corruption within her ranks.
Clair McFarlandJuly 02, 2024
Gillette Foursome Accused Of Pistol-Whipping Men In Retaliation For Kidnapping
After a Gillette woman told her friends an ex-boyfriend had kidnapped her Saturday, they allegedly barged into a shop, held two men at gunpoint and pistol-whipped them.
Clair McFarlandJuly 02, 2024
Evanston Man Accused Of Rampage With Hatchet, Shovel And Machete
An Evanston man accused of terrorizing his estranged wife with a hatchet, shovel and machete will face felony charges, a judge decided Friday. He could get up to 41 years in prison if convicted.
Clair McFarlandJuly 02, 2024
Cody Police Bust Meth Lab When Woman Reports Boyfriend
Cody police say they busted a local meth lab after a woman reported her boyfriend for cooking the drug in their home. He’s in court Wednesday, and could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Clair McFarlandJuly 01, 2024
Wyoming Split On Landmark Ruling That Trump Can’t Be Prosecuted For Official Acts
Wyoming legal opinions are split on Monday’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for official acts in office.
Clair McFarlandJuly 01, 2024