Police say Joplin man was affected by marijuana impairment during rollover wreck that killed three in May
- Dennis McCaslin
- Jun 19, 2025
- 1 min read
Inside the walls of the Ottawa County Detention Center, 27-year-old Anthony Theadore Hendricks awaits the jury trial that could define the rest of his life.
Charged with three counts of first-degree manslaughter, the Joplin man stands accused in a 2021 crash that shattered a family and rattled a community.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s reconstruction painted a grim picture: excessive speed, no sign of braking, and evidence of marijuana impairment. Blood tests revealed THC and its active metabolites in Hendricks’ system.
He later told troopers he had been trying to catch up to a car that cut him off--though investigators found no sign of another vehicle.
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The single-vehicle wreck along a rural stretch of Oklahoma State Highway 10C claimed the lives of Terry Wilkins, 29, and two children, Eden Melton, 7, and Raylan Brown, 5.
All were passengers in Hendricks’ SUV when it veered off the road and rolled several times, ejecting them from the vehicle.
What began as a family outing ended in a flipped car in a ditch, three bodies on the roadside, and a driver whose life unraveled in an instant. Hendricks survived with minor injuries. He was later arrested and formally charged in Ottawa County District Court;
As of now, Hendricks remains incarcerated, his pretrial hearing held June 18, 2025. His jury trial is scheduled for June 23. If convicted, each count of manslaughter could carry a minimum sentence of four years in prison.
