Woman convicted of felony charges after accident

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A woman pleaded guilty in a drunk driving crash that seriously injured a hospital employee near New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Gwendolyn Brewington Jenness, 54, plead guilty in New Hanover County Superior Court to one count of Felony Serious Injury by Vehicle. Following two days of trial, Jenness changed her initial plea of “not guilty” to a plea of “guilty” and was then sentenced to a 22-36 months in the Department of Adult Correction.

During the two day jury trial, the defendant fled and was being tried in abstentia. She was later apprehended by the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and changed her plea upon being brought into court.

The charge in this case comes from a November 4, 2012 collision in front of New Hanover Regional Medical Center in which Jenness, driving a pickup truck northbound on South 17 Street, ran a red light at the intersection of South 17th Street and Savannah Court and collided with a hospital employee who was driving a Toyota Camry leaving from Savannah Court and turning southbound onto South 17th Street.

A subsequent chemical test showed Jenness to have a 0.10 blood alcohol concentration at the time of the collision. The victim in this case suffered multiple severe injuries including a fractured skull, necessitating emergency brain surgery and a month and a half’s worth of hospitalization.