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
Man Suspected Of Sex Trafficking Teen Also Accused Of Sneaking Drugs Into Jail
A New Mexico man stopped in Wyoming is suspected of sex trafficking a teen girl. He’s also accused of sneaking fentanyl into the Uinta County Jail. His case rose to felony-level court Friday.
Clair McFarlandAugust 19, 2024
Montana Motorcyclist Missing For 5 Days Swerved To Miss A Deer
A Montana motorcyclist who was missing for five days and survived by drinking creek water is recovering in a Missoula hospital. Friends say he crashed into a tree when he swerved to miss a deer on the road.
Clair McFarlandAugust 19, 2024
Degenfelder Applauds Supreme Court Ruling Against Biden Trans Bathroom Rules
Wyoming’s top education official Megan Degenfelder on Saturday applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling which blocked the new Biden administration transgender bathroom rule in multiple states.
Clair McFarlandAugust 17, 2024
Missing Montana Motorcyclist Found Alive In Idaho Surviving On Creek Water
Zachary DeMoss of Montana vanished without a trace Sunday during a Western states motorcycle trip with his buddies. After an intense five-day search, he was found Friday surviving on creek water.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Man Arrested In Crash That “Catastrophically Dismembered” 2 On Motorcycle
A man has been arrested more than a year after the truck he was allegedly driving plowed into a motorcycle and “catastrophically dismembered” two people in 2023. He was returned to Wyoming on Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
6-Year-Old Alive Dangling From Seat Belt After Alcohol/Marijuana-Fueled Rollover Near Gillette
A 6-year-old boy was found alive and dangling from a seat belt after the car he was in rolled multiple times. A Gillette woman was charged Wednesday in the alcohol- and marijuana-fueled rollover in northeast Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Search Scaling Back For Montana Motorcyclist Who Vanished On Road Trip In Idaho
Five days after he vanished on an Idaho highway during a road trip with buddies, the search for a missing motorcyclist is being scaled back. Despite an intense search covering nearly 100 miles of highway and riverbank, there’s been no sign of him.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Sweetwater County Residents At War Over Dog Sitting At Table In Restaurant
People in southwest Wyoming are at war over a photo of a woman who put her dog on the seat of a booth at the table of a Rock Springs, Wyoming, restaurant. Some are appalled, calling the act “entitled,” while others say just leave them alone.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Feds May Deport Three Guatemalans Caught With 170 Pounds Of Pot In Wyoming
Three Guatemalans were reportedly caught hauling 170 pounds of marijuana through Wyoming and face felony charges. At the same time, federal authorities are considering deporting them.
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2024
One Killed, Four Hurt When RV Rolls Off Teton Pass
Brake failure may have caused an RV rollover on Teton Pass on Wednesday that killed a Nevada woman and injured four. They were on their way to Jackson when the vehicle rolled and burst apart, making the RV look like it had exploded.
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2024
Goshen County On Lookout For Man Accused Of Beating Woman’s Face With Gun
The Goshen County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man accused of brutally beating his girlfriend. He allegedly pistol-whipped her in the face to the point of possibly disfiguring her.
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2024
Brief: No Arrests Made After Shooting On Wyoming Reservation
Someone was shot on Wyoming’s Wind River Indian Reservation on Wednesday afternoon. The FBI isn’t releasing much information on the shooting, but confirmed no one has been arrested.
Clair McFarlandAugust 14, 2024
Tourists Who Bear-Sprayed, Shot At Camp Intruder Claim Self-Defense
A couple from South Dakota charged with bear-spraying and shooting at a woman near their Wyoming campsite say they acted in self-defense. But prosecutors say the couple was looking for a fight with the woman, who was just looking for her hat.Â
Clair McFarlandAugust 14, 2024
Three Laramie Men Accused Of Duct-Taping Woman, Then Cutting And Beating Her
Three Laramie men are accused of duct-taping a woman’s mouth, hands and ankles, then cutting her with a knife, beating and threatening her. They allegedly did it because she was “disrespecting” them.
Clair McFarlandAugust 14, 2024
Montana Motorcyclist Vanishes On Road Trip With Buddies In Idaho
Idaho authorities are treating the disappearance of a motorcyclist from Montana as a missing persons case after he disappeared on Sunday. His friends did spot his bike but when they went back to that location after he didn't show up, it was gone.
Clair McFarlandAugust 13, 2024
Man Accused Of Stealing Tow Truck And Going On Drunk Joyride Around Old Faithful
After a local store wouldn’t sell him beer, a drunk man allegedly stole a Yellowstone tow truck and drove it around Old Faithful. When caught, the man pretended to be a U.S. marshal and said he took the truck to get to his headquarters.
Clair McFarlandAugust 13, 2024
85-Year-Old Riverton Homeowner Fought Off, Shot Possibly “Irrational” Intruder
An 85-year-old Riverton, Wyoming, homeowner said he fought with a would-be intruder late Friday before shooting the other man. In a Monday interview, he says in hindsight, he believes “the guy was obviously irrational.”
Clair McFarlandAugust 12, 2024
Wyoming Man Who Claimed Attic People Told Him To Slit Mom’s Throat Is Sane
A Gillette, Wyoming, man accused of slitting his mother’s throat to defend himself from distant attic people has been found sane enough to stand trial. He’ll be arraigned Thursday in Campbell County District Court.
Clair McFarlandAugust 12, 2024
Clair McFarland: My Teen Says Crocs Are 'Stylish'
Clair McFarland writes, "We live in the sage country. No kid should ramble around these hills with holes in his shoes. Just put out an entry mat for the ticks, I guess.”
Clair McFarlandAugust 11, 2024
Teddy, Stolen Poodle Found During Wyoming Police Stop, Finally Back Home
A miniature poodle named Teddy is back with his owner nearly a year after a man allegedly stole him and smuggled him into Riverton, Wyoming. After about three weeks and more than 3,500 miles, Teddy arrived home Friday night.
Clair McFarlandAugust 10, 2024
In Brief: Riverton Homeowner Shoots Apparent Burglar
Preliminary evidence suggests a Riverton, Wyoming, homeowner shot and wounded a man in his 20s late Friday night. The man was allegedly trying to burglarize a home near the town’s City Park.
Clair McFarlandAugust 10, 2024