Drugged Driving Crashes Surging Across Michigan

The driver of a red pickup appeared to be drunk, according to witnesses who called 911, as he sped erratically through Kalamazoo County in June 2016. Before police could catch up to him, the driver plowed into a group of bicyclists on a rural road, killing five of them in a crash that would make international headlines. Investigators later learned the driver, Thomas Pickett Jr., wasn’t drunk. Blood tests show he was high on drugs, including methamphetamine, pain killers and muscle relaxers. Prosecutors charged Pickett with 14 felonies, including second-degree murder and driving under the influence. His trial is scheduled for September.