Robert J. Bob Silver, 66, was killed while performing a routine duty on December 28, 2023. A longtime court officer for the St. Clair County 72nd District Court with 35 years’ service, he was serving an eviction at a residence in the 6100 block of Genaw Road in Clay Township when several hours passed without word. Officers sent to check on his welfare found him on the property with fatal gunshot wounds.

The tenant, 49-year-old Michael Stickler, barricaded himself inside and was taken into custody after a short standoff. Stickler was charged with murder and is being held at the St. Clair County Jail on $1 million bond. Silver was a U.S. Army veteran and a public servant, remembered by colleagues as an avid pool player; he is survived by his wife of 40 years, three children, and a granddaughter.

Did anyone in the Clay Township area see or hear anything at the Genaw Road address on December 28, 2023?