Retired US Air Force official sentenced to 40 years for child sex crimes in East Texas
Posted/updated on: May 25, 2026 at 6:22 pm
SULPHUR SPRINGS (CBS19) — A retired high-ranking U.S. military official was sentenced on Thursday to serve 40 years in prison for child sex crimes in East Texas.
Ret. Brig. Gen. Mike Houston McClendon, of Sulphur Springs, was found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 following a trial before a judge in a Hopkins County courtroom. He was then sentenced to 40 years in prison, according to the Hopkins County District Clerk’s Office.
McClendon was arrested back in May 2024 over a sexual assault investigation. Arrest documents say the offense happened in January 2014.
The district clerk’s office said McClendon will have to serve each day of the 40-year sentence with no potential for early release. He also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and court fees.
According to McClendon’s biography on the U.S. Air Force website, McClendon is a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The biography says he was a senior pilot with over 10,000 hours in more than 35 types of aircraft ranging from helicopters to fighters to transports. As a civilian, he was a captain for a major airline, flying internationally.”
The Military Times said McClendon retired in 2009.
Courtesy of CBS 19
