Kingston man pleads not guilty to drug driving offenses

Ed Lewis, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Aug. 28—WILKES-BARRE — A Kingston man involved in a crash that killed two men while allegedly driving under the influence of marijuana pleaded not guilty to drug driving offenses Monday.

Kyle Aaron Hendricks, 33, of Main Street, entered the not guilty plea through his attorney, Luzerne County Public Defender Stephen W. Palubinsky, during a court proceeding before President Judge Michael T. Vough.

Vough scheduled Hendricks' trial for mid-December on two counts of driving under the influence of a controlled substance and a single count of possession of a small amount of marijuana. Hendricks is also facing a summary speeding citation.

Hendricks, while employed as a Domino's delivery driver, was operating a Jeep Grand Cherokee on Wyoming Avenue when he struck a Subaru Legacy, which was exiting Josie's Italian Ice on April 10, 2022, according to court records.

Austin Lee Heck, 25, of Plymouth, the driver of the Subaru, and a passenger in his vehicle, James John Wheeler, 27, of Nanticoke, died at the scene.

Autopsies by pathologist Dr. Charles Seibert revealed the cause of death for Heck and Wheeler were multiple traumatic injuries and the manner of death for the two men was ruled accidental, Coroner Jill Matthews stated Monday.

Hendricks suffered injuries in the crash and was transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township. A blood test revealed marijuana in his blood stream, court records say.

A search of Hendricks' Jeep revealed a bag of marijuana and three empty bags of marijuana, according to court records.

During an interview with Kingston police detectives, Hendricks said he was returning to Domino's Pizza on Market Street after delivering a food order. As he proceeded through the green traffic signal at Wyoming Avenue and Northampton Street, Hendricks claimed he saw the headlights of a vehicle in the parking lot of Josie's Italian Ice and initially believed he struck a tree, court records say.

A Pennsylvania State Police reconstruction of the crash determined Hendricks was traveling at an estimated 56 mph at the time of the crash.

The posted speed limit of the area where the crash occurred is 35 mph.

Hendricks, who was charged March 28, remains free on his own recognizance.

A message left for District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce about why vehicular homicide charges were not filed was not returned Monday.