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

A memorial for a 15-year-old girl killed in an early morning April 30 drive-by shooting at Lincoln Park in Cheyenne.

Teen Charged With First-Degree Murder In Drive-By That Killed Cheyenne Teen Bumped To Felony Court

Johnny Muñoz, 17, has been charged as an adult for allegedly killing a 15-year-old Cheyenne girl in a drive-by shooting. After a Thursday preliminary hearing, his case has been escalated to felony court.

Clair McFarlandMay 18, 2023

Sister Of Missing Man Whose Skull Was Found In Remote Wyoming 'Relieved And Saddened'

Dani Combs told Cowboy State Daily she's "relieved and saddened" now that the remains of her brother missing since 2015 have been found in remote Washakie County ranchlands.

Clair McFarlandMay 18, 2023

A woman found dead in a car lodged in a snowbank in Yellowstone National Park over the weekend has been identified.

Woman Found Dead In Car Stuck In Yellowstone Snowbank ID’d As 38-Year-Old From Florida

Catheryn Danyelle Griffin, 38, of Florida was the woman found dead in a vehicle lodged in a snowbank Saturday evening. A man who may have been Griffin's traveling companion has been released on bond after federal authorities charged him with drug possession and traffic violations.

Clair McFarlandMay 18, 2023

Meeteetse Man Says He Drove 143 MPH Into Powell And Crashed Because His Car Was Rigged With Bombs

Cameron Boni of Meeteetse didn't show clues of being drunk or high after he allegedly drove into Powell at 143 mph and crashed into four cars, but he said people were following him and had rigged his car with bombs.

Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2023

Two Killed In Albany County Plane Crash Were From Oregon

The Albany County Sheriff's Office has identified Oregon residents Lawrence Allen Crosby as the male pilot and Frances Li as the passenger in a Sunday plane crash that killed them both.

Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2023

Wrong-Way Driver Accused Of Killing Five On Wyoming Highway Has Case Paused To Get Mental Evaluation

Arthur Nelson of Tennessee is accused of driving the wrong way and causing a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 80 that killed five young people in January. His lawyer asked to pause his prosecution to evaluate if he's mentally competent to understand it.

Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2023

A man found by a pedestrian dead along the bank of the Wind River in Fremont County died of drowning as a result of being high on meth, the county coroner has determined.

Man Found Dead On Riverton Riverbank Drowned While On Meth, Coroner Finds

Bud G. Perry, who was found dead on a riverbank south of Riverton by a pedestrian last month, died of drowning while under the influence of methamphetamine, his docket report says.

Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2023

The University of Wyoming sorority members suing over admitting a transgender member, along with one of their lawyers, were interviewed by Megyn Kelly on Monday. They said that their lawsuit will be important for women's rights.

UW Sorority Members Suing Over Transgender Member Turn To National Media To Say They're Fighting For Women's Rights

The University of Wyoming women suing their sorority for its role in admitting a transgender member are speaking out in national media, saying they want to fight for women’s rights and women’s spaces.

Clair McFarlandMay 16, 2023

Black Butte High School in Rock Springs is operated out of the Western Wyoming Community College campus. The school, and Sweetwater County School District No. 1 officials, are accused of transitioning a student without parental knowledge.

Rock Springs School District Says It's Just Following Law, Not Gender Transitioning Student

Sweetwater County School District No. 1 asked a federal court not to block its rules requiring teachers to call students by their transgender names and pronouns, saying the district will lose federal money if it stops, and the practice is akin to calling kids by their nicknames.

Clair McFarlandMay 16, 2023

The Gas Lite Motel in Laramie was the scene of a gruesome murder last summer when an out-of-state man killed a local man and tried to dismember his body.

Prosecutor Wants 30 Years For Florida Man Who Killed, Chopped Up Laramie Man

Hunter Fulton pleaded guilty in January to manslaughter and other charges for killing and trying to chop up Laramie resident Mathew Caggiano. Now the prosecutor is urging the court to sentence him to 30 years in prison.

Clair McFarlandMay 16, 2023

Dessie Bebout, A True Wyoming Woman, Dies At 102

Dessie Bebout was among the first enlisted women in the U.S. military after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She went on to be a tough and loving wife and mother, and an example of true Wyoming work ethic and character. She died Friday at her Riverton home. She was 102.

Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2023

Yellowstone National Park rangers are investigating a woman found dead in a car stuck in a snowbank in the park Saturday.

Woman Found Dead In Car Stuck In Yellowstone Snowbank, Driver Arrested On Drug Charges

Yellowstone National Park rangers arrested a man Saturday evening for drug and traffic violations after they found his vehicle lodged in a snowbank and his female passenger dead in the car. The woman's death is under investigation.

Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2023

Other Authors

Rod Miller signs copies of his new volume of poetry, titled "The Dog's Pancake."

Review: Rod Miller's "The Dog's Pancake" Takes You To Wyoming — Whether You Want It Or Not

Cowboy State Daily columnist Rod Miller's first volume of published poems hits bookstores this month. The 65 anthems, mostly free-verse, will take readers to Wyoming — whether they want to go there or not.

Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2023

Cheyenne Gym-Goers Tackle Would-Be Robber, Pin Him Down Until Police Arrive

Gym members at the Gold's Gym franchise in Cheyenne paused their workouts long enough Friday evening to pin down an alleged robber who said he had a bomb.

Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2023

Two Dead In Private Plane Crash In Albany County

A male pilot and female passenger died Sunday when their private plane left Denver and crashed in a remote area of Albany County, Wyoming, authorities say.

Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2023

Facebook posts, such as this one on the Wild Love Images wildlife photography Facebook page, show photos of a grizzly bear that was reported to have been shot and left dead Monday on the North Fork Highway between Cody and Yellowstone Park.

Wapiti Man Admits Shooting Grizzly Near Cody, Wyoming, Says He Thought It Was A Black Bear

A Wapiti man turned himself in the day after he shot a grizzly bear about 30 yards off the North Fork Highway near Cody. He said he thought it was a black bear, but realized it was a grizzly when examining the carcass up close.

Clair McFarland & Mark HeinzMay 15, 2023

Kemmerer Man Accused Of Having His Mom Help Kidnap Ex-Girlfriend Pleads Not Guilty

Trayven Hays, 19, is accused of yanking his ex-girlfriend from a truck and throwing her into a Jeep his mother was driving, then cornering her at his home and jabbing her in the face with his finger.

Clair McFarlandMay 12, 2023

Wright Man Accused Of Strangling, Smothering And Throwing Wife Asks To Finish Breakfast Before Going To Jail

When deputies caught up with Peter Reno, 50, of Wright, on suspicion that he'd strangled his wife, slammed her head into a nightstand and smothered her while asking how she liked it, Reno asked if they'd let him finish breakfast before taking him to jail.

Clair McFarlandMay 12, 2023

Coy Yellow led Campbell County and Gillette law enforcement on a high-speed chase Wednesday in which he allegedly hospitalized a deputy, carjacked a truck and held a man at gunpoint.

South Dakota Fugitive Carjacks Man At Gunpoint Near Gillette, Deputy Hospitalized After High-Speed Chase

Campbell County Sheriff's deputies and Gillette police officers chased, spiked, surrounded, ambushed and fought with a South Dakota man brandishing a gun during a high-speed chase outside of Gillette on Wednesday.

Clair McFarlandMay 11, 2023

School Board Votes To Keep Controversial Meth And Sex Books In Casper High Schools

The Natrona County School Board voted to keep "Crank" and its sequels in the high school libraries, despite critics' claims the books glamorize meth use and teen sex.

Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2023

A memorial for a 15-year-old girl shot and killed in a drive-by at Lincoln Park in Cheyenne. Two teens have been charged as adults in the killing.

Cheyenne Teens — Ages 17 And 16 — Charged As Adults In Drive-By That Killed 15-Year-Old Girl

The Cheyenne teens suspected in drive-by that killed a 15-year-old girl were charged as adults on Wednesday morning and now could face life in prison if convicted on first-degree murder charges.

Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2023

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