GUTHRIE, OKLA. ? A man charged with manslaughter in the deaths of two Kansas teenagers was brought to court in a bulletproof vest for his initial appearance Monday.

Logan County Sheriff Randy Richardson said that Kevin Ray Beplate, 23, of Luther, was put in the protective gear because of the interest in his case and the large number of people attending the hearing.

“We heard there were some angry family members, so we were just taking precautions,” Richardson said.

Prosecutors charged Beplate with two counts of first-degree manslaughter and driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, causing great bodily injury. He was being held in the Logan County Jail Monday on $227,500 bail.

A car matching the description of his vehicle was seen weaving across the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 late Friday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.

At the same time, Matthew McNutt, 22, of Guthrie, and Krystopher M. Abrahms, 15, and Kyle E. Lafferty, 14, of La Crosse, Kan., were walking north on I-35 after their vehicle got a flat tire, the patrol said.

By the time officers found the weaving car, it had hit three people, troopers said.

Abrahms and Lafferty were killed, and McNutt was treated at a hospital for leg injuries.

Beplate’s passenger, Callie Dodd, 17, of Oklahoma City, also was taken to the hospital.

Funerals for Abrahms and Lafferty are scheduled for 2 p.m. today at Community Church in Guthrie.