May 12, 2024 – A routine traffic stop by a Hopkins County Sheriff Deputy produced a person of interest in an ongoing investigation of Sexual Assault of a Minor. Retired Air Force Brigadier General Mike Houston McClendon was found to be named as a person of interest in a sexual assault investigation. McClendon cooperated with authorities during and after the traffic stop by driving to the local sheriff’s office and being questioned by authorities. McClendon was subsequently arrested on a warrant and booked into the Hopkins County Jail on the charge of Continuous Sexual Assault of a Young Child which is a first-degree felony charge. Bail for the highly decorated Brigadier General was set at $100,000.
The following information is from McClendon’s Air Force Biography page: General McClendon is a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He initially flew the A-7D fighter in Tactical Air Command, and subsequently was part of the initial cadre to introduce the A-10 into U.S. Air Forces in Europe. From USAFE, General McClendon attended the Air Force’s Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, Calif., and served as Air Force chief A-10 test pilot and Director of Flight Test. He also served as the Deputy Program Manager for a highly classified special program. This was followed by consecutive tours in Air Force research and development and in senior leadership jobs in the F-22 System Program Office, Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters Directorate of Operations, Air Force Research Laboratory and the former AFC2ISR Center. General McClendon is a senior pilot with more than 10,000 hours in more than 35 types of aircraft ranging from helicopters to fighters to transports. As a civilian, he is a captain for a major airline, flying internationally.
Brigadier General Mike H. McClendon is the recipient of several military honors including a Distinquished Service Medal and Legion of Merit award.
McClendon’s Air Force Biography can be viewed here: McClendon Air Force Biography Page.
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The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
