Woman killed from Friday hit and run identified; suspect charged

Police have identified the woman killed by a driver while crossing a busy Lawton roadway on foot Friday night.

The driver accused of killing her has made his initial court appearance and is free on $50,000 bond.

Annie Porche was struck and killed while walking northbound in the inside eastbound lane across Cache Road, according to a statement from the Lawton Police Department.

The department’s Traffic Division was called to the intersection of Northwest 64th Street and Cache Road around 9:45 p.m. and found Porche injured and lying in the roadway. She was taken to a local hospital where she later died, according to police.

The driver, identified by police as Derrick Lamont Harkless, fled but was later found and detained by officers at Northwest 40th Street and Cache Road, police said. Harkless told police he thought he’d hit a shopping cart, according to the probable cause affidavit. Porche was walking with assistance of a walker.

After undergoing a field sobriety test, investigators determined Harkless was driving under the influence. He told investigators he’d drank two shots of Hennessey before leaving a restaurant in the 7200 block of Cache Road, according to the affidavit.

Once arrested, Harkless agreed to the state’s breath test. Police said his blood alcohol content was 0.12; 0.08 is considered felony driving while intoxicated.

Harkless, 47, of Lawton, made his initial appearance Wednesday morning in Comanche County District Court where he was charged with a felony count of first-degree manslaughter, records indicate.

Harkless returns to court at 3 p.m. Aug. 22 for his preliminary hearing conference, records indicate.

The Porche’s death is considered the ninth by homicide in the Lawton city limits this year, according to Constitution records.