Man charged with open murder for death of court officer serving eviction notice
A man has been charged with murder in connection to the death of a court officer in Clay Township.
Michael Stickler, 49, was arraigned New Year's Day on charges of open murder and felony firearm.
A complaint identified the victim as Robert Silver, a court officer for St. Clair County. Silver, 66, had reportedly gone to a residence at the 6100 block of Genaw Road in Clay Township Thursday morning to serve an eviction notice.
Clay Township police went to the residence around 2 p.m. after Silver failed to return from the call and was found dead with an apparent gunshot wound.
Stickler was arrested after a brief standoff with police, according to a news release. He is being held in the St. Clair County Jail on a $1 million bond.
According to his obituary, Silver had worked as a court officer for 35 years.
Visitation will be held for Silver's family at the Marysville Funeral Home from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday Jan. 4, and again from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday Jan. 5.
Andy Silver, Robert Silver's son, asked that people respect the family's privacy as they grieve his father's death.
Open murder is punishable with up to life in prison, while felony firearm use is punishable with a two-year prison sentence which must be served consecutively to the associated felony.
Stickler's next hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 10.
Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Man charged with murder for death of court officer during eviction
