A well-known Wichita Falls man in Texas was arrested on Wednesday on a more severe charge over an alleged road accident that occurred in 2020, court documents show.
Robert “Bubba” McDaniel Jr. was released from a Wichita County jail on $ 50,000 bail on Thursday, according to online prison records.
McDaniel is known for his participation in mixed martial arts and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as for calling for justice for the murder of his 2-year-old son Jason Wilder McDaniel.
McDaniel was first charged with lethal conduct in connection with August 15, 2020 incident near the fire station on Johnson Road, according to the arrest warrant statement. Lethal handling of firearms is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
On May 5, the Wichita County Grand Jury charged McDaniel with a serious charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a road incident.
It is not uncommon for a grand jury to charge a person with a different charge than the one originally arrested. A more severe attack with a deadly weapon carries a harsher sentence and is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
District Attorney Wise James Stainton of Decatur is the specially appointed prosecutor for McDaniel’s case. McDaniel is accused of firing two shots from a handgun while standing on the road, according to court documents.
According to the charges in the court files, he is suspected of firing a gun after an altercation between another driver in block 4900 Johnson Road. The rear bumper of the other man’s vehicle was hit by a bullet, and four firefighters witnessed all or part of the incident, according to court records.
Police were dispatched to Wichita Falls Fire Station no. 6 in block 4900 Johnson Road, according to court records. According to online records, McDaniel was arrested and released from prison on August 26, 2020 on bail of $ 50,000 for the original charge of lethal conduct.
When he got out of jail, McDaniel told his side of the story live on Facebook. He said someone was threatening his family, and he defended them. McDaniel said live on Facebook that the other driver appeared to be reaching for the gun. He said he had lost a son and would not lose another child. There was high support for justice for Wilder among community members and others.
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Law enforcement officials believe Wilder was murdered on October 11, 2018 by James Irven Staley III at his home in Wichita Falls, according to allegations in court documents. Staley and Wilder’s mother, Amber Nichole McDaniel, were dating, according to court documents, when she was not with Bubba.
Officials claim Wilder was strangled with a pillow at Staley’s home in the 2000 Irving Place block, according to allegations in court records and an autopsy report. Staley was charged with the murder of a person under the age of 10 and the felony of first-degree murder in connection with Wilder’s death.
Staley faces up to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder, and life imprisonment without parole if convicted of death, according to court documents. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for January 89, 2022 at the 89th District Court for the murder case. A trial date has not been set.
Staley was later charged with injuring a child with the intent to cause bodily harm and manipulating / producing physical evidence in connection with Wilder’s murder case, according to court documents. Staley is suspected of physically abusing Wilder and staging a death scene after the child’s murder, according to allegations in court documents. Charges carry up to 10 years in prison.
Amber was accused of endangering the child by bringing Wilder around Staley, and interfering with cell phone evidence, according to court records. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of interfering with evidence, and up to two years in state prison if convicted of endangering children.
McDaniel is a veteran of 40 professional mixed martial arts fights. In 2021, he stepped into the spotlight of the state as a member of the cast in the 17th season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. McDaniel made his UFC debut in the TUF 17 final and defeated Gilbert Smith with a triangular hand in the third round. Consecutive defeats by Brad Tavares and Sean Strickland led to his exit from the UFC.
Since leaving the UFC, McDaniel has competed 11 times, 9-2, including a 2-1 record at Bellator. McDaniel has not competed in MMA since 2018, although he is expected to fight in 2020 before resigning.
This story originally appeared on Times Record News, a shop owned by Gannetta. MMA Junkie staff contributed an MMA-related background to this version of the story.