Driver Faces Manslaughter Charges After Crash Kills Two Guthrie Teachers

Felony manslaughter charges were filed against a Midwest City man this week in Payne County. Authorities said Rocky Baca, 37, crossed the center line of State Highway 33 near Redlands Road and crashed into a vehicle head-on killing two Guthrie teachers.

Jennifer Briggs, 24, and Heather Wilson, 27, were carpooling from Stillwater to their teaching jobs at Guthrie Junior High just before 7 a.m. on Oct. 27. They were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Baca, the wrong-way driver, was taken to OU Medical with injuries after the crash.

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Court documents stated Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers found a green leafy substance in a package in Baca's vehicle. The package was then turned over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).

OSBI lab reports showed the substance in Baca's vehicle was a synthetic marijuana compound, AB-Pinaca, listed as a controlled substance.

During an interview after the crash, Baca told a trooper he smoked the substance he called ‘Frankenstein' and had also taken an over-the-counter sleep aid prior to going to bed around 9 p.m. the night before the crash. Then, he said he woke up around 3:30 a.m. and smoked the substance again before going to work that morning. Baca believed he fell asleep at the wheel during the crash.

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An arrest warrant was issued for Baca on Wednesday for two felony counts of manslaughter in the first degree with a bond amount set at $125,000.