Anthony Juventino Silva, 25, of Crystal Falls, 25-year-old Alex Thomas Nordang of Iron River and 49-year-old Stanley George Marcell of Alpha each will be sentenced Aug. 27 in Iron County Trial Court after pleading guilty to unlawful use of a motor vehicle-first offense notice, a 90-day misdemeanor.

Special prosecutor Autumn Gruss of Marquette County agreed to dismiss the original, more serious charge of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, a two-year high court misdemeanor, and will recommend no initial incarceration.

However, Iron County Trial Court Judge C. Joseph Schwedler said at arraignment last week he couldn’t guarantee he would follow that sentencing recommendation. He said Tuesday he hadn’t yet reviewed any background information on the case nor seen the probation department’s sentencing recommendation.

A trooper from the Iron Mountain Michigan State Police Post who hit a deer with his squad car while patrolling March 7 brought the damaged vehicle to Northland Automotive and Powersports in Iron River for repairs the next day, according to an MSP incident report.

STANLEY MARCELL

Several people, including Silva, Nordang and Marcell, were at Northland the evening of March 8, with one witness telling investigators it’s common for people to work on their vehicles, visit and drink alcohol after hours, the report states.

Silva told investigators Nordang, a Northland employee, took the state police squad car for a quick, work-related drive. That’s when Silva, then an Iron County Sheriff’s Department deputy, got the idea to “play a joke” on the trooper and take the vehicle for a ride, according to the report.

Silva drove the squad car “fast” from Northland on West Genesee Street to the intersection of West Franklin Street and Homer Road and back — a distance of about 2 miles, according to the report.

Nordang was in the front passenger seat with a beer, and Marcell was in the back seat, Silva told investigators. Silva admitted he had three to four beers in a two-hour span before the incident.

The only damage to the squad car appeared to be a yellow paint mark on the front passenger side bumper from the yellow hoist arms at Northland, according to the report. MSP won’t seek restitution, Gruss told the court.

ALEX NORDANG

Investigators determined the vehicle had two extra miles on the odometer.

Marcell later went to the MSP post and attempted to take blame for the incident so Silva wouldn’t get in trouble, the report states. Silva said he never asked Marcell to lie to police, according to the report.

Silva resigned from the sheriff’s department in April.