Driver Of Black Tahoe In Fatal Weekend Accident Identified

HottyToddy.com obtains name of John Howard Strickland, Jr., through Freedom of Information Act

By Michael Harrelson, Editor, HottyToddy.com
michael.harrelson@hottytoddy.com
John Howard Strickland, Jr., has been identified as the driver of the black Tahoe involved in the Saturday morning car collision that resulted in the death of two Ole Miss students. HottyToddy.com filed a public records request with the city of Oxford to obtain the name of the driver, which was still being withheld as of Tuesday morning, pending the results of a blood toxicology test by the state crime lab in Jackson.

Strickland’s home address is listed on the police accident report as San Antonio, Texas.
The Ole Miss Registrar’s office confirmed that a John Howard Strickland, Jr., is currently enrolled as a student at  the University of Mississippi.
John Wheat, a 30-year-old Maryland native and an avid sports fan, and his sister, 24-year-old Sarah Wheat, died as a result of injuries received in the crash that took place on the 18th Street overpass on Highway 278 Saturday morning at 11:07 a.m.
Sarah Wheat, a member of the Ole Miss Lacrosse team, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, Oxford Police Chief Mike Martin said.
John Wheat was transported by helicopter to the Med in Memphis, where he died a few hours after the accident. Strickland was treated for injuries at Baptist Memorial Hospital and later released.
“A black Chevrolet Tahoe traveling east bound crossed the median and struck a Toyota head-on at the 18th Street overpass,” Martin said.
A warrant for a blood toxicology test on Strickland was issued by a judge, based on a probable cause request filed by the two Oxford police officers on the scene, Martin said.
Test results may not be known until late next month.
“Normally, it takes three months to get the results of a test. They are extremely busy, but we were able to get them to put a rush on it, so we expect to have the findings in three to four weeks.”