A year after a deadly hit-and-run on the edge of Manor, a Travis County judge has handed down a sentence that keeps the driver largely out of state prison. Court records show that Kawaski Latham received six years of deferred adjudication after pleading guilty to a second-degree felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death. The victim, 54-year-old Alisia Allen, was found in a ditch near U.S. Highway 290 and Gregg Manor Road in the early hours of May 22, 2023.
Under the plea agreement, Latham must spend 60 days in the county jail, complete 100 hours of community service, and write an apology letter to Allen’s family, along with other court-ordered conditions. He will also remain on deferred adjudication for six years. Those terms are laid out in Travis County court documents and were reported by KXAN.
How the crash unfolded
According to Manor police, officers were called around 2:48 a.m. on May 22, 2023, to the intersection of Gregg Manor Road and westbound U.S. 290 after a passerby spotted Allen’s body in a roadside ditch. Investigators determined she had been hit by a vehicle that left the scene. Authorities later identified and arrested Latham in June 2023 after tracing damage found on a car, details reported by FOX 7 Austin.
What deferred adjudication means
In Texas, deferred adjudication is a type of community supervision that allows a judge to pause a formal finding of guilt while a defendant follows court-ordered conditions. Even so, the underlying charge typically remains part of the public record. Under the state’s collision statute, Texas Transportation Code §550.021, leaving the scene of a crash that results in death is a felony that requires drivers to stop, provide aid, and share identifying information, as set out in the Texas Transportation Code. If a person on deferred adjudication violates those terms, a judge can move forward with adjudicating guilt and impose a prison sentence.
What's next
Latham will remain under court supervision for the duration of his deferred adjudication while he attempts to complete the conditions of his sentence. If he fails to comply, prosecutors can ask the judge to formally adjudicate guilt and consider a prison term. The criminal case proceeds independently of any civil claims Allen’s family might choose to pursue.
