Christopher Haxel

Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING — An Eaton Rapids man who crashed into several vehicles then told another motorist the devil made him do it has pleaded not guilty to reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident that results in an injury.

Kyle Craig damaged about a half dozen vehicles near the intersection of Coolidge and Lake Lansing roads In November, driving erratically across the US-127 exit ramp and through the Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe parking lot, officials said.

Craig, 26, was arraigned last month on the two misdemeanor charges. He is representing himself and faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

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“God saved me, and it’s really hard to explain,” he told the State Journal. “I hit seven vehicles, and I was able to walk right away from that. I don’t think I was even wearing a seat belt.”

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Craig said he didn’t get much sleep the night before the crashes because he was reading the Bible, and was “sucked right in” while he was driving.

“It’s almost as if the devil entered me, and God saved me and prevented him from entering me and killing me,” he said.

East Lansing police took Craig into custody after the incident but referred him to Sparrow Hospital for a mental health assessment, said Lt. Steve Gonzelez, a department spokesman.

Craig said he was sent to Stonecrest Center, a behavioral health center in Detroit, but released after about a week.

"I was just so thankful that the cops did their job, and they were able to help me through it," he said.

A pretrial conference is scheduled for Jan. 19.

Contact Christopher Haxel at 517-377-1261 or chaxel@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHaxel.