By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A Hartland Township man has been bound over for trial on attempted murder charges after authorities say he brutally beat his father.

26-year-old Clay Garner is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, aggravated domestic violence, and assaulting, resisting, or obstructing a police officer for the February 18th incident.

In 53rd District Court Monday, Garner’s father testified how his son, a former U.S. Marine, had attacked him a day after returning home from a mental health stay at a Veterans Administration hospital. Garner’s father said his son pummeled him with closed fists to the torso on their home’s deck, resulting in three broken ribs and a collapsed lung with internal bleeding. After about 45 minutes, he said he was able to get back inside his house, followed by his son, where they encountered a Livingston County Sheriff’s Deputy who had arrived after being summoned via a 911 call.

The deputy testified he struggled with Garner for about a minute and a half before he broke free and ran downstairs, where he grabbed a golf club and held it over his head. Garner then fled through a door wall into the home’s yard, where a Michigan State Police trooper had just arrived. After repeated commands to drop the club, the trooper twice had to use his Taser on Garner before they could get him into custody.

Judge Shauna Murphy found there was sufficient evidence to send the case to trial and bound Garner over to Livingston County Circuit Court. Steven Dodge, Garner’s attorney, said his client wished to waive his arraignment there.

No new dates have been set.