The Montgomery County police officer whose cruiser struck and severely injured a 12-year-old Clarksburg boy in April was driving at least 26 miles per hour above the speed limit before slamming on his brakes, an accident reconstruction report said.
A police spokeswoman said Officer Jason R. Cokinos is back on the job and no criminal charges have been filed against him at this point. Cokinos has received two traffic citations, she said. A final report is expected to be released next month.
On April 29, Luis Jovel, Jr., was crossing Stringtown Road in Clarksburg, heading west, when Cokinos came down the street in his county-issued 2005 Ford Crown Victoria, the report said. About 40 feet before the Ford struck the boy, Cokinos slammed on the brakes, the report said. Skid marks indicated he traveled another 84 feet after the impact, according to the findings.
When the car made impact, Jovel was thrown onto the hood and was carried by the Ford as it continued south down Stringtown Road. As Cokinos skidded to a stop, Jovel was thrown from the hood.
Forensic evidence – markings on the road where the boy was hit matched the color on the soles of his shoes – led investigators to believe Cokinos was driving at least 56 mph on the 30 mph road, and when he hit Jovel, he was still going 46 mph, the report said.
Cokinos could not be reached and his attorney, James F. Shalleck, declined to comment.
But according to the accident report, Cokinos told investigators, “I thought the speed limit was 40 miles per hour in that area. I thought I was traveling the speed limit.”
Detective J.R. Howard, who wrote the report, concluded “if Cokinos had been traveling 30 miles per hour, the collision would not have occurred.”
Jovel was in the road illegally, Howard wrote, but Cokinos contributed to the accident “due to the calculated speed…of the vehicle.”
The boy’s neck was fractured in the collision. Calls to Jovel’s home to find out his current condition went unanswered.
