Woman accused of leaving the scene of accident that killed Ema Cardenas pleads not guilty

The woman accused of hitting and killing 14-year-old Ema Cardenas with her vehicle on April 28 and leaving the scene of the accident has pleaded not guilty in the Iowa District Court for Polk County.

Terra Flipping, 38, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death. Cardenas was struck and killed in the 1600 block of East University Avenue while walking home from school.

Flipping's arraignment is scheduled for June 13.

On April 29, Sgt. Paul Parizek, a spokesperson for the Des Moines Police Department, said in a news release that officers located Flipping's vehicle less than a mile from where the accident happened. Hours later Parizek announced the arrest of Flipping, who was allegedly driving the vehicle at the time of the crash and lives at the home where it was found.

"At this time, there's no evidence to indicate that this was anything other than an accident," Parizek previously told the Des Moines Register. "However, the law requires that you stay, so that's why (Flipping) was charged. We've talked to several witnesses, we've recovered some video, but we still need to talk to anybody who saw the actual accident occur."

Previously: East High School teacher remembers freshman killed in hit-and-run as 'so much fun ... so loving'

Cardenas was going to turn 15 in early May. Instead of celebrating her quinceañera — for which she was very excited, loved ones have said — her family buried her.

Andrea Sahouri covers social justice for the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at asahouri@registermedia.com, on Twitter @andreamsahouri, or by phone 515-284-8247.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Woman accused of hitting Iowa teen with vehicle pleads not guilty