Court tosses conviction of driver who hit girls in leaf pile

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Court of Appeals has reversed the conviction of a motorist who drove an SUV into a pile of leaves that concealed two girls, killing them.

Authorities said Cinthya Garcia-Cisneros learned after arriving home in October 2013 that she may have struck two children on Main Street in Forest Grove – 25 miles west of Portland. She failed to come forward.

A jury convicted her of failing to perform the duties of a driver to injured persons.

The appeals court said Wednesday there’s no dispute that Garcia-Cisneros didn’t know she hit someone at the time of the accident. The court said Oregon law doesn’t require a driver to return to the scene after learning of an accident sometime later.

The court said the trial judge should have granted her motion for acquittal.