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The driver accused of hitting and killing a 15-year-old girl on a Southeast Portland street last month pleaded not guilty Thursday to an elevated manslaughter charge, court records show.

A grand jury has indicted Abdulrahman Sameer Noorah on a first-degree manslaughter charge, among other charges, according to court records. Police said he was speeding on Hawthorne Boulevard on Aug. 19 when he hit and killed Fallon Smart while she crossed the street at 43rd Avenue.

The elevated manslaughter charge alleges Noorah caused Smart's death "unlawfully and recklessly, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life." The previous second-degree charge alleged that he only "unlawfully and recklessly" caused her death.

Noorah, 21, remains in the Multnomah County Detention Center on $1 million bail.

Police said Smart was crossing Hawthorne Boulevard legally in front of stopped traffic when the driver, Noorah, illegally swerved into the left-turn lane and hit her at 55 to 60 mph.

Smart was entering her sophomore year at Franklin High School and previously attended a magnet school for students who excel in math and science. Her mother wrote on a GoFundMe page, which has garnered more than $43,000 in donations, that Smart wanted to be a teacher and "was going to be a teen leader at High school this year so new people wouldn't feel alone."

"Fallon was a very giving person, especially for someone so young," her mother wrote.

Smart's mother, who had previously been shopping with Smart and her other kids, was parked about a half a block away from the crash scene, according to the records. She went to the scene after a driver told her there had been a hit-and-run, and she told police Smart died in her arms.

Noorah was driving with a suspended license, according to court records, and was convicted in April for driving with a suspended license and not carrying proof of insurance. Witnesses of the Aug. 19 crash told police he didn't initially stop at the scene. He later returned, police said.

Noorah was born in Saudi Arabia, first came to the U.S. in summer 2014 and is in the U.S. on a student visa, according to court records. He said he has finished 5 terms at Portland Community College, isn't enrolled in fall classes but plans to continue his education in the U.S., according to the records.

Noorah lives with a host family in Portland, according to the records. A cousin, with whom he is close, also lives with the family. The cousin and two other passengers were in the car at the time of the crash.

An officer who spent 4 hours with Noorah "noted that he seemed indifferent" about the deadly crash, according to the court records. Noorah covered his face and cried during his arraignment last month.

A deputy who compiled records filed Aug. 31 in Multnomah County Circuit Court wrote that she spoke about Noorah with an official from the Saudi Arabian consulate in Los Angeles. The deputy wrote that it was her understanding the consulate has retained legal counsel for Noorah and plans to post his bail.

He faces first-degree manslaughter, failure to perform duties of a driver to injured persons, reckless driving, and three recklessly endangering another person charges, according to court records.

-- Jim Ryan and staff reports