By ELIZABETH FERSZT
Contributing Writer
Jackson Police Chief Christopher Simpson announced Monday that Robert Poole was arrested in connection to the Jan. 28 homicide of Michael Mishaw, 49, which occurred in the parking lot behind the buildings in the 1600 block of E. Michigan Avenue.
Simpson said a tip was called in that the homicide suspect was inside a residence in the 1800 block of Chapin Street, a residential street two blocks south of E. Michigan Avenue and east of Elm Street. “Officers from the Jackson Police and agents from the Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms executed a search warrant and located Robert Poole, 51, inside. Poole was arrested without incident. He was transported to the Jackson County Jail and lodged on the charges of Homicide – Open Murder and Felony Firearms,” said Simpson.
According to court records, Poole was arraigned on May 5 by Hon. Magistrate Christopher Dickerson who denied bond. The case has been assigned to Hon. Daniel Goostrey, a judge in the 12th District Court, who will hear a probable cause conference for the charges May 15 at 1 p.m. A preliminary exam is scheduled for May 21 at 9:30 a.m.
Mishaw was shot in his upper torso and stomach area possibly between 2:13 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. Jan. 28, when JPD had received a 911 call for shots fired in the nearby vicinity of Orange Street in the early morning hours. Mishaw’s body was found later that morning by a passerby that frequently used the alley and parking lot, resulting in a second 911 call.
Simpson said at the time, “Evidence supports a homicide.”
Mishaw’s death marked the second murder of the year: on Jan. 15, 2026, a 13-year-old suspect allegedly shot a 16-year-old victim, in the area of Harris St. and Leroy St., on the city’s near northeast side. Simpson stated that the two homicides were not related.
Anyone with any information about this homicide is asked to contact JPD Detective Thomas Tinklepaugh at (517) 768-8637 or Crime Stoppers at (517) 483-7867.
