Michigan

Driver in deadly Kalamazoo bike crash took muscle relaxers that day

(Photo supplied/Kalamazoo County Jail)

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Police reports say a man accused of plowing his pickup truck into a group of Michigan bicyclists, killing five, took pain pills and muscle relaxers in the hours before the crash.

Charles Pickett Jr. was initially charged with second-degree murder in the June 7 crash and additional charges of driving while intoxicated causing death were added later. A prosecutor has said Pickett was under the influence of drugs, but details weren’t previously released.

The reports were obtained Wednesday by the Kalamazoo Gazette from the Kalamazoo County sheriff’s department under the Freedom of Information Act. They say investigators also found marijuana and methamphetamine in his truck.

The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment from defense lawyer Alan Koenig. A judge earlier granted Koenig’s request for a mental-health exam.

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