NOT GUILTY PLEA ENTERED IN COLLISION.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - A man accused of killing a 12-year-old boy crossing Plum Canyon Road on his bicycle pleaded not guilty Friday in Newhall Municipal Court to a charge of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.

Angel Morelos, 25, remained in custody at Twin Towers Detention Facility Friday afternoon in lieu of $250,000 bail. He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of driving without a license or insurance. Nine days after Morelos hit the boy, he was cited a second time for driving without a license, officials said.

The charges against Morelos were filed on the heels of a recent study showing that unlicensed drivers nationwide are five times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than licensed drivers.

In California, 22 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes had suspended or revoked licenses, or none at all, according to the study by the American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Morelos, an immigrant alien residing in Canyon Country, hit Jordan Gillespie on June 12 as the boy rode his bicycle across a pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Rodgers Drive, officials said.

Jordan sustained severe head injuries in the collision and died 10 days later at UCLA Medical Center.

Morelos is scheduled to appear for a pretrial conference in Newhall Municipal Court on Wednesday. If he again pleads not guilty to the charges, a jury trial will be scheduled, said Deputy District Attorney Karen Tandler.