CMU hoops guard Finis Craddock sentenced to six months probation following April arrest

Finis Craddock

Central Michigan senior basketball guard Finis Craddock was sentenced to six months probation following his April arrest for drunken driving.

Craddock, 21, of Garland, Texas, appeared before Judge William R. Rush in Isabella County Trial Court on June 22. He was arrested by Mount Pleasant police on April 21 at the corner of Preston Street and E. Campus Drive.

According to court records, Craddock pleaded guilty to driving under the influence only to have it knocked down to driving while impaired, a lesser charge. Rush sentenced him to six months probation.

Under the terms of his probation, Craddock is not allowed to consume alcohol or enter an establishment that serves alcohol, and must complete a substance abuse program. He was also ordered to pay $1,200 in court costs and fees.

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If all terms are met, Rush will suspend a recommended 92-day jail sentence.

According to the police report, obtained by Central Michigan Life via a Freedom of Information Act request, officer Kurt Solmonson of the Mount Pleasant Police Department pulled Craddock over after he came to a complete stop at two blinking yellow lights on Mission Street.

“I was traveling eastbound on High Street approaching Mission Street,” Solmonson wrote. “I stopped at the red blinking light for my direction of travel, and thought it was strange there was a white Hummer in the passenger lane, which was stopped for the yellow blinking light.”

After turning right to travel south on Mission, Solmonson said the Hummer changed lanes and got in front him. It, again, came to a complete stop at the blinking yellow light at Mission and Preston streets.

“The vehicle then turned westbound onto Preston Street approaching E. Campus Drive,” he wrote in the report. “I then initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle for impeding the flow of traffic of motor vehicle traffic.”

Solmonson said Craddock, who was behind the wheel of the vehicle, had “red, glossy, bloodshot eyes” and admitted to have had a few drinks at a party.

After several evaluations, Craddock agreed to a preliminary breath test, which registered a blood alcohol content level of .155 percent, nearly twice the legal limit in Michigan.

“I asked Craddock if he felt like he was intoxicated,” Solmonson wrote. “He stated he did feel like he was intoxicated, but he was ‘all right to go.’”

Craddock, who is entering his senior season, was “suspended indefinitely” by CMU head coach Keno Davis in April. The 6-foot-1, 179-pound guard was recruited by former coach Ernie Zeigler and averaged 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season.