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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

No charges in death of girl struck waiting for school bus

Associated Press

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – Prosecutors in Oregon will not file charges against an Arizona man who struck and killed a 13-year-old girl as she waited for a school bus, a newspaper reported.

Authorities in Jackson County worked for weeks to determine who was responsible for the hit-and-run death of Meadow Boyd in October 2017.

The Mail Tribune reported Thursday that 78-year-old Kenneth Lynn Anderson came forward and said he believed he could be at fault, but an investigation found no evidence that Anderson realized he hit the girl. Investigators also found no evidence he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, nor was he speeding or using a cell phone.

“There is insufficient evidence to support proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Kenneth Lynn Anderson … acted in a reckless or criminally negligent manner or that he knew that the collision had occurred,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

The teen was found dead in rural Jackson County at about 7:30 a.m. Oct. 30. Passing motorists tried to help her until paramedics arrived. Boyd’s father had waited with her for the bus that morning, and left for work when he saw the bus coming.

Investigators believe Anderson struck the girl as she leaned out into the road to signal the bus, which previously had failed to pick her up.

Anderson, who was in the area to do seasonal work on a marijuana farm, told authorities he initially thought he had hit a garbage can. It was dark and foggy the morning of the accident and Boyd was slightly taller than the garbage cans, the newspaper said.

Anderson’s truck had a camper in the bed with four jack stands on each corner that protruded about six inches to a foot from the side of the truck. The investigation found fibers from Boyd’s clothing on the front passenger side jack stand on the camper.