KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) – A man accused of killing five people when he plowed his speeding pickup truck into a group of Michigan bicyclists had taken pain pills and muscle relaxers less than two hours earlier, according to police reports.
Charles Pickett Jr., 50, was initially charged with second-degree murder in the June 7 crash in Kalamazoo County. Charges of driving while intoxicated causing death were added later.
The reports were obtained on Wednesday by the Kalamazoo Gazette (http://bit.ly/29RMIkO ) from the Kalamazoo County sheriff’s department under the Freedom of Information Act. They say investigators also found marijuana, methamphetamine, beer and liquor in his truck.
A prosecutor said earlier that Pickett was under the influence of drugs, but the release of the police reports provides the first details of what he had taken.
A state police report said the truck was going at least 58 mph in an area with a 35 mph speed limit.