Cop hurt in crash fails to fully regain consciousness

A New Orleans police officer who crashed his scooter on Bourbon Street in September has not spoken or fully regained consciousness since the wreck, according to his district commander.

Sgt. Charles Jenkins, 41, was moved recently to a rehabilitation facility in North Carolina, the state where his mother lives, said Maj. Edwin Hosli, who oversees the New Orleans Police Department's 8th District.

Doctors treating Jenkins since the Sept. 25 accident say he has briefly opened his eyes in bed and squeezed their hands when told to do so, but he has yet to awaken fully.

"He'll survive, but he has some recovery to go," Hosli said Friday.

The cause of Jenkins' accident remains unclear. He crashed as he drove the scooter down Bourbon Street about 5:30 a.m. that day.

Jenkins was hurt badly when he fell to the pavement. New Orleans EMS paramedics summoned to the scene took him to LSU Interim Public Hospital, where he initially was listed in critical condition.

The crash didn't appear to be especially violent -- the scooter was only slightly damaged. It isn't clear if Jenkins struck anything because investigators haven't been able to speak with him, and business surveillance footage apparently provided few clues.

Jenkins may have faced some kind of medical emergency before he wrecked, Hosli said, but investigators aren't sure.

Jenkins' mother asked doctors to move him to a long-term rehab facility in North Carolina. He spent much of his life there before coming to New Orleans, records show.

Jenkins, whose name was released just this week by the police department, joined the force in 2001.

He most recently served as assistant commander of the "Bourbon promenade," a group of 8th District officers tasked with patrolling the bustling adult-entertainment strip.

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Ramon Antonio Vargas can be reached at rvargas@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3371.