Former Judge Advocate General suspended for 2 years after violent outburst

A Warren County The lawyer was banned from practicing law for two years after attacking two women in an alcohol-induced violent outburst.

The Supreme Court of Ohio suspended William McClain will be serving as former judge advocate general of the 88th Air Base Wing for two years on Friday, with credit for the suspension he has already served.

McClain, who lives in Franklin, Ohio, according to court records, has been under temporary suspension since March 2023, a month after he was convicted of aggravated assault and causing panic, both felonies.

McClain’s night out in October 2022 with his fiancée, her daughter and two other women ended with him chasing the women through his neighborhood at gunpoint.

According to the courtMcClain attacked his fiancée in a bar parking lot. The women left the bar without McClain, but eventually took his fiancée back to the home they shared. The women tried to remove McClain’s many guns from his home, which led to an argument. The lawyer assaulted his fiancée’s daughter, who then stabbed him in the torso with a kitchen knife.

All four women fled the house and McClain chased them with a gun. He held his fiancée and her daughter at gunpoint, but they managed to escape. He fired one shot in the air and went home, the court heard.

Police, the Warren County Tactical Response Unit and a SWAT team had to plant gas canisters in the house to get McClain to surrender.

He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and causing panic, assault, domestic violence and using a weapon while intoxicated. McClain was sentenced to three years of community control, which allowed him to stay out of jail while under court supervision. He was also required to undergo mental health and substance abuse counseling.

According to the opinion, McClain served as judge advocate general at Wright Patterson Air Force Base prior to the attacks on Oct. 29, 2022. In that role, he provided legal support to officers, pilots, Air Force civilians and more. The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct said he has served honorably in the U.S. Army since age 18.

The board concluded that McClain’s violent outburst was caused by excessive drinking and untreated mental health problems. In their recommendation to suspend McClain for two years, including credit for time served, the board also said he was undergoing treatment for mental health and alcohol abuse, and has been sober since his arrest. The board said that “McClain, when sober, is a respectful and compassionate person, a loving father and a hard-working and talented attorney.”

The court agreed with the board’s recommendation to suspend McClain for two years, with credit for time already suspended, meaning his suspension will be lifted in March 2025. He will also have to meet five requirements to be reinstated, including fulfilling the terms of his criminal conviction, mental health treatment and more.

This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: Former Ohio Judge Advocate General Suspended After Assault

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