JONESBORO, Ark. — A Tyronza man will serve probation after pleading guilty to charges related to stalking his daughter and making threats of violence, according to court records.
Robert L. McClain, 52, entered a negotiated guilty plea on August 14 in Craighead County Circuit Court to first-degree terroristic threatening, a Class D felony, and third-degree stalking, a Class A misdemeanor. McClain had also faced a Class B felony charge of first-degree stalking, but it was reduced as part of the plea agreement, and prosecutors dismissed a misdemeanor false alarm charge.
Circuit Judge Randy Philhours sentenced McClain to 36 months of supervised probation for terroristic threatening and a 12-month suspended sentence for stalking. McClain will not serve jail time but must comply with several court-ordered conditions, including paying $340 in fines, court costs, and administrative fees, as well as a $35 monthly probation fee. He is prohibited from possessing firearms, required to complete a GED course, and will be subject to searches by probation or law enforcement officers.
Deputy Prosecutor Gina Knight-Nelson represented the state in the case, while attorney Derek Shollenbarger represented McClain.
The case originated from an incident in May when McClain’s 20-year-old daughter contacted Jonesboro police. According to a probable cause affidavit, the daughter reported that she had recently moved out of McClain’s Tyronza home and that he began showing up uninvited at her new residence, including during nighttime hours.
Police said McClain also called the Jonesboro Police Department on April 24 to report that his daughter was in danger at a residence on Gee Street. The affidavit states that the address was the home of her mother, McClain’s ex-wife, and that McClain was aware of this.
Additionally, investigators obtained screenshots of messages in which McClain allegedly threatened to shoot several people if his daughter did not contact him. Family members told police he was known to frequently keep a firearm on or near his person. McClain admitted to officers that he sent the threatening messages in an attempt to intimidate his daughter into responding to him.
McClain was arrested on May 22 as he left his Tyronza home. His bond was initially set at $250,000 cash or surety, but he has been free under the conditions imposed during the court proceedings.