A man who was charged with terrorizing his family in Clark last summer has received probation.

Caleb J. Waldron, 29, was released from jail Thursday after nearly four months behind bars. Charging documents say Waldron had attacked his sister at their parents’ home in mid-August and dragged her back into the residence when she tried to leave; he’d also reportedly knocked down and grabbed his mother.

At last week’s sentencing hearing, Waldron apologized to his family and others who’d been hurt, saying he wants “to be a new person.”

The Park County Attorney’s Office initially charged Waldron with felony counts of kidnapping and robbery and three misdemeanors in connection with the incident. However, in exchange for Waldron pleading no contest to misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and interference with an emergency call, prosecutors agreed to drop the other charges.

Waldron received one year of supervised probation, with roughly eight months of jail time suspended. While on probation, Waldron must obey the law and have no contact with his sister or mother.

The deal stemmed in large part from Waldron’s family members, who didn’t want him to receive a felony conviction. District Court Judge Bill Simpson said their support was the only reason he was willing to accept the arrangement.

“I think, in a way, it’s your family telling you that they are willing to forgive you, they are willing to tell you that they love you, that they want to be a family, but you can never engage in this kind of behavior,” Simpson told Waldron. “And you’re gonna have to take a long road to try to repair the damage you've done to the family, but I think you can do it.”

According to an affidavit composed by Park County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Tisdale, the incident began on the night of Aug. 17. Waldron had demanded some kind of financial interest in the family’s home and when his mother and sister disagreed, he became angry and then violent when his sister mentioned calling the police.

According to Tisdale’s summary of the sister’s account, Waldron grabbed her by the throat and pushed her over a chair. Waldron then reportedly said something to the effect of, “You do know I can kill you, right?”

Waldron also took his sister’s phone — prosecutors contended that amounted to a robbery — and the landline in an attempt to prevent them from calling police, charging documents say.

Waldron’s sister ran out to their mother’s car and attempted to leave, but the affidavit says he pursued her, grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the vehicle.

“Caleb [Waldron] would not let go until she convinced him that she would not call the police,” Tisdale said of the sister’s account, and Waldron then dragged her back into the house by her arm. 

Waldron eventually went to bed and his sister left before he woke up, contacting law enforcement in Cody. Tisdale found the woman had bruises that were consistent with her account.

Waldron was also alleged to have knocked down and grabbed his mother during the altercation, though she was uninjured.

At a preliminary hearing in September, Waldron’s court-appointed attorney argued that prosecutors couldn’t show that Waldron’s alleged actions constituted a kidnapping or robbery. Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah did allow the felony charges to proceed toward a trial, but implied the state’s case on those charges wasn’t particularly strong.

Thursday marked the second time that Waldron avoided a felony conviction in Park County District Court. In 2014, he received a deferral on a felony charge of possessing marijuana with intent to manufacture or deliver, which related to growing the plants at his residence in Powell.

He successfully completed his probation, leading to the dismissal of that case, but court records show he ran into more trouble in 2017 and 2018 in Pinellas County, Florida. Across three separate felony cases, he was alleged to have passed and possessed a few counterfeit $100 bills, broken into an apartment and possessed synthetic marijuana. However, the Florida court records show he was soon determined to be incompetent due to a depressive disorder and treatment did not restore his competency. 

In early 2021, a judge concluded that “there is no substantial probability that the mental illness causing the defendant’s incompetence will [allow him to] regain competency to proceed in the reasonably foreseeable future.”

All of the charges against Waldron were dropped or dismissed.

In Park County District Court on Thursday, Waldron said he’s disabled and receives most of his income from Social Security due to mental health issues that include autism. Because of his limited income, Waldron asked for several months to pay the $500 he was ordered to forfeit to the court and a $200 reimbursement to his court-appointed attorney, Sarah Miles.

Before finalizing the sentence, Judge Simpson warned Waldron that he needs to address his issues with anger and asked for a guarantee that “this will never happen again.”

“Your honor, I’ve repented for my sins and I gave myself to the Lord and I just want to change my life and I want to better myself,” Waldron said.

He apologized to his family, saying he was “so sorry” and that he hopes they see he’s trying to change.

“I just want this thing behind me and I just want to show I'm growing up to be a man of God,” Waldron said.

Simpson said the remarks seemed to be true and heartfelt, and “we’re going to hold you to those statements.”

“Hopefully, you can move forward, learn from this horrific experience, and we will not have any issues whatsoever, and you can be a positive and contributing member of society,” Simpson said.

Waldron served 117 days in jail.