MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) deputies arrested 30-year-old Jacob Andrew McClain (W/M, DOB: 04/11/1996) for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Child Abuse, and Violation of Probation.
On May 13, 2026, Corporal Jonathan Coleman and Deputy Elijah Smith responded to a report that Jacob McClain had shot a BB gun in the direction of a juvenile victim. A juvenile eyewitness advised that McClain was making the two children run and do pushups as a form of discipline. During the exercise, he aimed and fired a BB gun toward the victim and shot a metal trash can within five feet of him.
Deputies made contact with McClain, who advised that he was upset at the juvenile victim and the eyewitness because they were playing rough. He advised that he was making them do physical exercise as punishment and admitted to shooting in the direction of the victim because he was not running as he was instructed. McClain openly admitted that he frequently disciplines the children by shooting a BB gun toward them as a scare tactic, but stated he does not hit them.
While speaking to the juvenile victim, he told deputies that McClain shot the BB gun over his back and hit a nearby trash can while he was doing pushups. He advised that he had been shot at previously and hit with projectiles that did not puncture his pants or skin. During this incident, the victim was not struck by the projectile, but he began crying because he was afraid that McClain was going to shoot him with the BB gun.
McClain was placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he is held without bond. His active felony probation was also violated.