Driver pleads not guilty to killing woman in crosswalk

A Costa Mesa man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to killing a woman as she crossed the street because he was text messaging while driving.

Martin Kuehl, 41, was arrested Monday after police concluded their investigation into an August traffic accident and determined Kuehl, the driver, was at fault when he fatally struck Martha Ovalle with his car as she crossed Westcliff Drive in a marked crosswalk.

Kuehl was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and faces up to six years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors said Kuehl was texting about 8:30 a.m. Aug. 29, when he hit Ovalle. Ovalle, an immigrant from Guatemala, was pronounced dead at the scene. Kuehl’s pre-trial hearing is scheduled for April 20.

— Joseph Serna