Rockaway Beach, Mo. man charged in fatal head-on crash in July 2022

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - A man from Rockaway Beach has been charged in a head-on crash that killed a man in July 2022.

Court records show 32-year-old Kenneth Tillman Jr. is charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter, operating a vehicle on a highway without a valid license, operating a motor vehicle without maintaining financial responsibility, and failing to properly wear a seatbelt.

The crash killed 23-year-old Caleb Hawley from Hollister.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, it happened on Highway 160 and Homestead Acres Road near Walnut Shade. Investigators say Tillman’s car slid all over the road, and then hit another vehicle head-on.

Hawley died at the scene of the crash. Tillman was taken to a hospital in Springfield with serious injuries.

Court documents show that Tillman Jr. did not have a valid driver’s license and had an ID card from Arkansas and another ID card from Missouri. Tillman Jr. got a ticket in June 2022 for not having a driver’s license. Authorities searched his car and did not find any insurance cards.

Authorities also found that the registration tabs on the license plate on Tillman’s car had been altered with a black marker to say 2024 instead of 2021. The car was also last registered out of Arkansas and did not have any current registration.

Tillman is scheduled to appear in court on January 30.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com