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BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) – A Battle Creek man accused of hitting nine bicyclists faces five counts of second-degree murder.

A judge authorized the charges against Charles Pickett Jr. Thursday.

An undated photo of Charles Pickett Jr. courtesy his Facebook page.

Authorities said a blue Chevrolet pickup truck hit the cyclists from behind around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday near Markin Glen Park in the five thousand five hundred block of N. Westnedge Avenue in Cooper Township, north of Kalamazoo. Five people — Debbie Bradley, Melissa Fevig-Hughes, Tony Nelson, Larry Paulik and Suzanne Sippel — were killed.

Pickett, 50, also faces four counts of reckless driving causing serious impairment for earnestly injuring four other cyclists.

On Thursday, Bronson Methodist Hospital said Paul Lewis Runnels remained in serious condition while Sheila Diane Jeske was upgraded to fair condition. Borgess Medical Center told twenty four Hour News eight that Jennifer Lynn Johnson remained in fair condition and Paul Douglas Gobble in serious condition.

In a news conference Thursday, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said Pickett was not medically able to be formally charged in the case that day, but could be arraigned as soon as Friday.

Officers fielded the very first call about erratic driving allegedly involving Pickett at 6:08 p.m. at S. Drake Road and Arboretum Parkway in Kalamazoo. Another erratic driving call came into the Kalamazoo Sheriff’s Department at 6:13 p.m. About fifteen minutes before the cyclists were hit, investigators said Pickett sideswiped a car at N. Drake and Grand Prairie roads in Kalamazoo Township.

Authorities are still waiting on blood test results to determine if Pickett had drugs or alcohol in his system.

Pickett was arrested in Rhea County, Tennessee, for driving under the influence in Feb. 2011, according to the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department. Court records display he was charged, but the DUI charge was later dismissed in Aug. 2011.

Top, left to right: Debbie Bradley and Melissa Fevig-Hughes. Bottom, left to right: Tony Nelson, Larry Paulik and Suzanne Sippel. (Undated courtesy photos)

St. Thomas More will hold a community prayer service seven p.m. Thursday at the church, located at 421 Monroe St. near Western Michigan University campus. That service is open to everyone of all faiths. It will also be aired on WXSP and online on woodtv.com.

The Kalamazoo Strong Organization has set up a fund for the victims of the crash and their families. You can donate at the organization’s website.

– twenty four Hour News 8’s Heather Walker contributed to this report.

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