Maryland's 1st Female Episcopal Bishop Heather Cook Kills Cyclist Tom Palermo In Gruesome Hit & Run'

[Whisper]

Tragic: Maryland's first female bishop, 58-year-old Heather Cook (center) who was elected just this past September, was involved in a fatal crash Satruday afternoon in which a cyclist was fatally injured

Initial reports indicated that Cook, whose badly damaged car is seen here, hit Palermo and fled the scene. It was later revealed she had indeed left the scene but later returned (her car is pictured here after she went back to speak to police who were still at the scene)​

[...]
ordained first female Episcopal bishop fatally crashed into and killed a bicyclist just two days after the Christmas holiday before fleeing the scene.
[...]
said a 58-year-old female motorist drove away from a scene of mangled metal beside a fatally injured man taking his final breaths--41-year-old father and custom bike maker Tom Palermo.
[...]
letter from the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland broke the news on Sunday that it was their No. 2 leader, Bishop Heather Cook, who disappeared from the fatal crash before finally returning to take responsibility.
[...]
photos from the scene can attest there was no way Cook could have kept hidden for long the evidence her Subaru had been in a serious collision.

Witness Jason La Canfora, a CBS reporter who covers the NFL, described
[....]
the collision and resulting damages as 'a massive impact.'

Half the vehicle's windshield and hood bear deep, fractured indentions from Palermo's body.

'Bishop Cook did leave the scene initially, but returned after about 20 minutes to take responsibility for her actions,' Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton wrote Sunday in a letter addressed to the Clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
[...]
Pictured on the sidewalk behind police tape was what remained of Palermo's ride of choice--no doubt one of the custom Palermo Bicycles he fabricated for a living in his one-man shop.

Reaction to the incident from Baltimore's thriving cyclist community was fast and furious.

'He was alive after it happened,' Lora Peters told
[....]
at the scene of the crash on the 5700 block of the city's Roland Avenue. 'She might have been able to help or call for help if she'd stayed on the scene.'

The local cycling advocacy group
[...]
released a statement on their friend Palermo's death, which read in part:

'Tom was a passionate bicycle builder, a father, and a friend to many people who ride bicycles in Baltimore.

'While details of the crash are still emerging, we know the driver of the car involved initially fled the scene, leaving Tom to die on the street.'
[....]
while placing flowers at a memorial that popped up near the scene, told the Brew after seeing photos of Cook's damaged windshield, 'There’s no way you could not know you’d hit somebody.'
[...]
Cook isn't claiming she didn't know. Nor had she said anything else about the matter as of Sunday night.
[....]
the diocese was doing the speaking for her and says they have suspended Bishop Cook because she still may face criminal charges.

'There is an ongoing police investigation into the accident,' wrote Right Reverend Sutton. 'I will meet shortly with the Standing Committee to discuss ways we can move forward.'
[...]
went on to say that he'd be postponing an upcoming sabbatical 'to be pastorally present in this difficult time.'

Too young: The victim was Tom Palermo, 41--a Baltimore bicycle enthusiast who even custom made bike frame by hand as part of his one-man business

'Tom was a passionate bicycle builder, a father, and a friend to many people who ride bicycles in Baltimore'While details of the crash are still emerging, we know the driver of the car involved initially fled the scene, leaving Tom to die on the street.'

Twisted metal: Palermo's wrecked bike is pictured here. He was left dying in the street for a time before a fellow cyclist happened by and called 911
SOURCE
https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2014/12/28/grief-and-anger-at-scene-of-fatal-bike-crash/
&
http://www.bikemore.net/priorities/

 

[CbabyRKO]

What a cunt. Look I get it. She was in shock but she could have sat there and then called the cops. Like the others said she left him there to die and thats what's gonna cost her more so than the fact that she even hit him. She could have gotten him help but in her selfishness she didn't.

 

[CLouise]

I can understand to some degree just how shocking an accident like this could be, but of all the people to fail to help.

The basis of her life & daily work is to live out loving your neighbour. I'm sure she's visited the sick and seriously ill often, yet she doesn't call 911 or get out of her car...sigh very sad.

 

[Cameray]

Episcopal bishop identified as driver in fatal bike crash

Drinking and Drug Charges in 2010

The Brew attempted to contact Cook and Sutton via email tonight and have not yet received a reply.

UPDATE: Replying on behalf of Sutton, Sharon Tillman, director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, said tonight that Sutton’s comments are all they are releasing at this time.

The Brew asked Tillman if Bishop Cook is the same Heather Elizabeth Cook, 4325 Cabin Creek Road, arrested in September 2010 on drinking, driving and drug charges in Caroline County, according to this local media coverage and online court records.

The drug charges were dropped (“nolle prosequi”) in January 2012 by the Caroline County state’s attorney’s office, online records show. She received “probation before judgement” for the DUI charge.

Tillman said she could not comment and referred us to Cook’s personal attorney, but could not provide the attorney’s name. (A religious publishing website lists 4325 Cabin Creek-Hurlock Road as the canonical residence of Heather E. Cook.)

Local media coverage and online court records...

Woman charged with pot possession, drinking, reckless driving

PRESTON A Hurlock woman was arrested on drinking and driving and drug charges in Preston Sept. 10, according to a Caroline County Sheriff's Office news release.

Police said Heather Elizabeth Cook, 53, of Cabin Creek Road, was charged with marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession, driving while under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, negligent driving and other traffic offenses.

Police said Cook's car was stopped on state Route 318, near Greenfield Court, and deputies found that the front passenger tire of her car was shredded and had fallen off the rim.

Cook performed poorly on field sobriety tests, police said, and her blood alcohol level registered at .27, more than three times the legal limit in Maryland, in a breath test.

Police said a bottle of wine and a bottle of whiskey were found in her car the whiskey bottle nearly empty along with a metal smoking device.

Cook was arrested and taken to a District Court commissioner, police said, before being released on her own recognizance.

 

[alanna hutchison]

Church leaders are only people with a church job. It is a tragedy for everyone involved. I've come close to hitting cyclists. The roads are often not designed to accomdate them and many don't follow traffic rules. I like to believe that I would stay at the scene but I can't imagine the shock and horror one would feel.

 

[lithiumgirl]

Where did you go for twenty minutes Heather Cook, First Ordained Episcopal Bishop (ha ha ha)...smoke a joint and pray about it ?

 

[LovliLoki]

Where did you go for twenty minutes Heather Cook, First Ordained Episcopal Bishop (ha ha ha)...smoke a joint and pray about it ?

To dump her weed and metal smoking device probably. Selfish people DUI.

 

[Kathy]

I wonder if she was forced to do blood work or breathalyzer test? I have always thought these should be mandatory in all accidents to a certain degree. I don't understand why some people leave the scene of an accident or how they could mentally be able to even talk. I would be so out of it I'm sure I would be classified as having a stroke or something. Driving any further would scare me to death.

 

[Oberle]

At least she didn't drive off with the dying man stuck in her windshield. (Such has the bar been lowered in our debased times.)

 

[reneelvsbrian]

I can understand to some degree just how shocking an accident like this could be, but of all the people to fail to help.

The basis of her life & daily work is to live out loving your neighbour. I'm sure she's visited the sick and seriously ill often, yet she doesn't call 911 or get out of her car...sigh very sad.

i was thinking the exact same thing. They should take away her title. Obviously she only cares about herself first, that is plain to see.

 

[reneelvsbrian]

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding The Role of a ... here is a link as to the role of an epispocal bishop if anyone is curious, i was so i looked it up.

 

[Pete Bondurant]

Most of these Episcopal leaders are gay atheists anyway. I don't understand why they pursue positions in a Christian church. They should just go to work for the Democratic National Committee, or Planned Parenthood.

 

[kitcatmcgee]

i'm willing to bet she hit that man, drove home or to the church then called the diocese and a lawyer then drove back....also , I am Episcopal .

 

[Krystal]

Well, since I already know that I'm going to Hell I might as well admit that I once punched a female Episcopalian priest (or whatever the appropriate term is).

It was an EMS call and she grabbed my back and pulled me down to the ground when I had a used needle in my hand and I got stuck with the needle. I jumped up swinging. Bitch had the nerve to attempt to berate me for punching a "woman of God", so we called PD and had her arrested for touching me.

The patient was a little old lady who had a diabetic episode at church and lost consciousness, she was so sweet that she went through all the blood testing with me so I didn't have to go on all the meds between tests.

I'm Southern Baptist.

 

[Kathy]

She has had charges dropped in the past for DUI and drug possession. Can you imagine the runner up for her position once he or she realized what her past record was like. His or hers possibly being all prestine and no charges, not even a parking ticket, but yet they go with someone who was charged at one time with DUI and drug possession. Regardless if the charges were dropped or not that should have sent up red flags all over the place for such a endowed position like hers and they should have just moved on to the next candidate. It might not have saved this poor guy's life but at least the church wouldn't be looked at as putting just anyone in that position. I'm Southern Baptist myself and I'm sure even the Baptist would frown on her past and we're usually the most lenient.

 

[Satanica]

They probably didn't do a background check.

 

[Cameray]

Here is a brief description of what police say they observed during Bishop Heather Cook's DUI traffic stop in 2010...(link)

Episcopal bishop identified as driver in fatal bike crash

The two drug charges – possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia – were dropped in January 2012 by the Caroline County state’s attorney’s office, online records show.

She earlier pleaded guilty to the DUI charge and received “probation before judgement” with a $800 fine, $500 of which was suspended.

 

[Cameray]

2 Maryland Bishop Who Killed Bicyclist Drove Same Car from 2010 DUI Charge: Reports

Members of the Episcopal Diocese say it was Cook’s sense of responsibility that brought her back 20 minutes after the collision, and they dispute the classification of the crash as a “hit and run” because she returned.

“Several news agencies have reported this as a ‘hit and run,’”Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of Maryland, said in a statement. “Bishop Cook did leave the scene initially, but returned after about 20 minutes to take responsibility for her actions.”

I don’t think it’s going to fly...

Hit and Run Laws in Maryland

Leaving the Scene of an Accident/Hit and Run - FindLaw

Consequences of a Hit and Run Accident | Nolo.com

 

[JackBurton]

Church leaders are only people with a church job. It is a tragedy for everyone involved. I've come close to hitting cyclists. The roads are often not designed to accomdate them and many don't follow traffic rules. I like to believe that I would stay at the scene but I can't imagine the shock and horror one would feel.

Doctors, nurses, and EMTs are only people with hospital jobs. All three would likely have an increased ability to help had they been the driver in a situation like this.

Same goes for this dipshit.

I get everybody makes mistakes and everybody responds differently to shocking or traumatic experiences. But her "church job" should make it her lifes work to help people, to render emotional/spiritual aid in their time of need. She failed to do that here. I mean what better time to have someone like this with you then when you're laying in the street dying? She said fuck him and drove off, only returning when she realized she couldn't get away with it.

Piece of shit and a disgrace to her religion.

Members of the Episcopal Diocese say it was Cook’s sense of responsibility that brought her back 20 minutes after the collision, and they dispute the classification of the crash as a “hit and run” because she returned.

So the entire Episocopal church is scummy and awful then. Good to know. Guess she's exactly the type of person her religion strives for.

And they only eat fish too, creepy fucks.

 

[taintfutcha]

Most of these Episcopal leaders are gay atheists anyway. I don't understand why they pursue positions in a Christian church. They should just go to work for the Democratic National Committee, or Planned Parenthood.

you imply that they are capable of using that opposable thumb in any other way than to cling to the drain as it tries to empty the very bottom of misdirected "employment" opportunities. being paid to work as any religious guidance coach is as pathetic as the position itself

 

[Cameray]

Episcopalians Outraged Heather Cook Was Promoted to Bishop After 2010 DUI; Some Didn't Know About Alcoholism Until Hit-And-Run

Several people who were part of the bigger convention that elected Cook to the high church office told The Washington Post that the information on her DUI was not revealed to them during the wider election.

Writing in an online forum called Episcopal Café, Fr. John Farrell, a priest in recovery for 40 years and whose LinkedIn profile lists him as "blissfully retired," said Cook's elevation to the position of bishop by the Diocese, knowing of her 2010 DUI, was a very risky and apparently unprecedented decision.

"I was shocked to learn she was charged in 2010 with DUI and possession of pot. Could someone tell me where the hell the Suffragan Search Committee was on this one? Heather Cook led the field in a slate of five women candidates. It strikes me that Maryland's political zeal to have a woman suffragan blinded the people who should have vetted all five properly," wrote Farrell in one of several comments.

He continued: "Understanding that [the] discussion of alcohol and alcoholism in the Cook case is sheer speculation, I'd like to make several tentative remarks to those who might argue that Bishop Cook may have demonstrated to the search committee that she was in a recovery program and was addressing her alcoholism successfully. On that basis, the committee may have decided not to jeopardize her chances by making the matter public. Be that as it may, as a priest in recovery for 40 years, I can tell you this was not the case when I was interviewed by a Commission on Ministry in 1985."

"At that point commissions were looking for at least 10 years of continuous sobriety before a person in recovery could be ordained. Upon advice, that was the time period regarded as necessary to reach full recovery with a diminished chance of relapse. If she was elected with less than two years of sobriety and expected to withstand the rigors of the episcopacy emotionally unprepared, a relapse might have been predicted," he noted.

Another recovering alcoholic and United Church of Christ pastor, Rev. Emily C. Heath, agreed in an op-ed posted to her website Thursday that the time was too short between her DUI and elevation.

"As far as her consecration as bishop, a very short period of time had elapsed between her DUI incident and her elevation. If she was sober, she was still in 'early sobriety' and taking on a position like this, with higher stress and demands on time, would have likely been discouraged. And, if she relapsed, as now seems likely, it was on her to step back and say, 'I need to focus on getting healthy,'" wrote Heath.

"But Bishop Cook alone is not at fault. Church communities are often too quick to push those who have had major falls back into the spotlight. They are not doing the one who is recovering any favors by pushing a false rhetoric of 'forgiveness' or 'grace,'" Heath asserted. "Sometimes grace means saying 'you need to work on yourself for a while.'"

 

[McDanel]

Church leaders are only people with a church job. It is a tragedy for everyone involved. I've come close to hitting cyclists. The roads are often not designed to accomdate them and many don't follow traffic rules. I like to believe that I would stay at the scene but I can't imagine the shock and horror one would feel.

It's the twenty minutes...I've been a passenger in accidents, been in near accidents, had a blowout on a wet curve and totaled a car. In all those cases, all I've ever wanted to do was pull over. Another 20 minutes of driving is a lot of time.

 

[McDanel]

The impression of his head in the windshield is really disturbing.

 

[McDanel]

Most of these Episcopal leaders are gay atheists anyway

So what do you think of Unitarians?

 

[taintfutcha]

So what do you think of Unitarians?

does one even know if they are a Unitarian?
I guess asking removes all doubt

 

[Krystal]

"At that point commissions were looking for at least 10 years of continuous sobriety before a person in recovery could be ordained. Upon advice, that was the time period regarded as necessary to reach full recovery with a diminished chance of relapse.

I like that they have a procedure and a higher number for years of sobriety achieved but a couple of parts of this statement bother me:

1. We never "fully" recover. I will die a drug addict, it's what it is, I have a family member with 30 years sober, they will die an alcoholic. We carry our addictions forever, we are never cured or fully recovered, and thinking otherwise is dangerous. Once you forget that you will always be an addict or alcoholic you can easily start to think- "Well, one won't hurt, I'm better now"- then one leads to two and we all know the rest.

2. You can relapse at any time. I've heard of people with decades of sobriety give it a go again. The number of the years doesn't lessen that, the resolve of the person to remain clean and sober is what lessens that.

Okay, I'm off my soap box now.

 

[lapsus.lingua]

Episcopal bishop identified as driver in fatal bike crash

Drinking and Drug Charges in 2010

The Brew attempted to contact Cook and Sutton via email tonight and have not yet received a reply.

UPDATE: Replying on behalf of Sutton, Sharon Tillman, director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, said tonight that Sutton’s comments are all they are releasing at this time.

The Brew asked Tillman if Bishop Cook is the same Heather Elizabeth Cook, 4325 Cabin Creek Road, arrested in September 2010 on drinking, driving and drug charges in Caroline County, according to this local media coverage and online court records.

The drug charges were dropped (“nolle prosequi”) in January 2012 by the Caroline County state’s attorney’s office, online records show. She received “probation before judgement” for the DUI charge.

Tillman said she could not comment and referred us to Cook’s personal attorney, but could not provide the attorney’s name. (A religious publishing website lists 4325 Cabin Creek-Hurlock Road as the canonical residence of Heather E. Cook.)

Local media coverage and online court records...

Woman charged with pot possession, drinking, reckless driving

Funny....my first thought upon reading this thread was, "So how drunk was she?". Given it's usually the drunks who run, and then turn themselves in after they are sure they can pass the breathalyzer....

 

[Cameray]

Maryland Bishop Facing Manslaughter Charge in Custody

In a spectacular fall from grace, Maryland's second-highest ranking Episcopal leader and the first female bishop in her diocese was charged with drunken driving and manslaughter after fatally striking a cyclist in late December.

Heather Cook, 58, turned herself in to authorities Friday, according to her attorney, David Irwin. Online court records show Cook's bail was set at $2.5 million. It was unclear late Friday whether she had posted bail. A trial is scheduled for Feb. 6.

The charges came less than a week after the national Episcopal Church announced it had opened an investigation into Cook, whose ties to the church span generations.

On Dec. 27, Cook struck and killed Tom Palermo, 41, while he was riding his bicycle. According to prosecutors, Cook left the scene for 30 minutes before returning, and registered a blood-alcohol content of .22 percent after the wreck. Palermo died of a head injury at a nearby hospital later that day.

Less than four months earlier, Cook was ordained as the diocese of Maryland's first female bishop. She attended an Episcopal girls school and had served as a boarding school chaplain, an assistant at a parish in New York and a member of two diocesan staffs. Her father, also a priest, raised his family in the historic Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church rectory in downtown Baltimore. According to Cook's autobiographical statement, when Cook herself was ordained as a deacon, her father removed "the stole from around his own neck and placed it over mine."

But Cook's father, like her, had a history of alcohol abuse. In 1977, the Rev. Halsey Cook told the Old St. Paul's congregation in a sermon that he was an alcoholic suffering a relapse and seeking treatment, calling alcoholism "a rampant epidemic in our society" and a "fatal disease, not only of the body but of the mind and spirit," according to an article that year in The Baltimore Sun.

Heather Cook, too, has had repeated problems with alcohol. In 2010, Cook was charged with drunken driving on Maryland's Eastern Shore after registering a blood alcohol content of .27 percent. Police found wine, liquor and marijuana in her car. The drug charges were dropped after Cook pleaded guilty to the drunken driving offense, and she received probation.

Diocese of Maryland spokeswoman Sharon Tillman said those charges were disclosed to search committee members during a vetting process as the diocese searched for a new bishop. However, the information was not shared with those people ? clergy and lay church members ? who voted among four finalists. Following a complaint made last week, national church leaders decided to open an investigation to determine whether Cook violated church law in Palermo's death.

The Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, bishop of the diocese, said in a statement Friday that the community is "heartbroken."

"We cry for the Palermo family, our sister Heather and all in the community who are hurting," Sutton said.

The church investigation is separate from the criminal probe, which took nearly two weeks to produce charges. Antonio Gioia, the chief of the conviction-integrity unit for the office of Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, said Cook was not charged immediately to avoid the possibility of double jeopardy. If Cook had been given a traffic ticket, that might have prevented prosecutors from filing additional, more serious charges.

"It behooves us to take our time and get it right," Gioia said.

Prosecutors say Cook was texting on her cellphone when she veered and struck Palermo from behind in a residential neighborhood in northern Baltimore. The impact threw him onto the car's hood and windshield, and he landed on a curb. Mosby said Cook went to her nearby home before returning. After she was taken to a police station, Cook was given a breath test, according to charging documents.

In addition to felony vehicular manslaughter, Cook was charged with criminal negligent manslaughter, failure to remain at the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury and death, using a text messaging device that resulted in an accident and three drunken driving charges. If convicted of all charges, Cook could face more than 20 years in prison.

 

[Cameray]

Article from Feb 04, 2015...

Bishop Heather Cook indicted in Thomas Palermo death

Bishop Heather Cook has been indicted on 13 charges for her alleged role in the death of Baltimore cyclist Thomas Palermo.

The Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City released the grand jury indictment Wednesday afternoon.

This is a normal step in this process. Cook was initially charged by police. Now a grand jury has issued an indictment, a reflection of how serious the charges are:

• Automobile manslaughter
• Manslaughter by vehicle or vessel -- criminally negligent homicide
• Homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, per se
• Homicide by motor vehicle while impaired
• Failure to stop the vehicle as close as possible to the scene of the accident and failure to remain at scene of the accident that might result in death
• Failure to stop the vehicle as close as possible to the scene of the accident and failure to remain at scene of the accident that might result in serious bodily injury
• Driving while under the influence of alcohol
• Driving while under the influence of alcohol, per se
• Driving while impaired
• Texting while driving during an accident that results in death or serious bodily injury
• Texting while driving
• Reckless driving
• Negligent driving

Palermo, 41, was fatally struck on the 5700 block of Roland Avenue on Dec. 27. Cook's alleged blood alcohol level was .22, nearly three times the legal limit.

Cook managed to bail out of the women's detention center. She's now undergoing in-patient alcohol treatment in Harford County.

Last week, the Episcopal Church asked Cook to resign from her position as bishop. The church said it has received no response.

The Palermo family issued a statement thanking prosecutors for taking the case seriously and said that they are taking things day by day.

The bishop will have to be back in court next month for arraignment.

 

[LarzlovesJahi]

Texting? She was driving that drunk AND texting? Good grief, horrible in every way.