MOUNT VERNON, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – An Everett man has pleaded not guilty to a hit and run crash that killed a Bellingham woman on the Fourth of July.
Court documents state 58-year-old Kirk Brenon was arraigned on vehicular homicide and other charges on Thursday, July 16.
Brenon is accused of hitting and killing 19-year-old Anahi Mendoza while she was selling fireworks in Sedro-Woolley on July 4.
Police say Brenon was speeding and driving under the influence when he crashed into Mendoza and a crosswalk signal on a sidewalk before driving away.
He told police at the time that he had smoked marijuana earlier that day and believed he had hit a pole.
Brenon has an extensive criminal record, including 17 felony convictions in Washington.
His trial is tentatively scheduled to begin on Oct. 26 in Skagit County Superior Court.
According to a GoFundMe made by her family, Mendoza graduated from Squalicum High School in 2025 and was selling the fireworks to fund a trip to Florida with her boyfriend.
