The first female bishop of the Episcopal Church of Maryland was driving a car involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident this weekend, the church has announced.
Bishop Suffragan Heather Elizabeth Cook hit and killed 41-year-old Thomas Palermo before briefly fleeing the scene on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Cook, who was ordained in September, had previously been arrested but not found guilty of driving under the influence in 2010.
The bishop of Maryland said he was “distressed” by the news, in a letter to clergy Sunday. “Several news organisations have reported this as a ‘hit and run’,” the Right Reverend Eugene Taylor Sutton said, according to an account published in Christian Today. “Bishop Cook did leave the scene initially, but returned after about 20 minutes to take responsibility for her actions.”
Cook has been placed on administrative leave and Sutton delayed plans for a January sabbatical until the church can determine how to move forward, he said in the letter.
Sutton asked clergy to “pray for Mr Palermo, his family and Bishop Cook,” but asked that Cook not be contacted directly. A spokesperson for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland did not immediately return calls for comment.
A Baltimore bicycle advocacy group has called for Cook to be prosecuted.
“Tom was a passionate bicycle builder, a father, and a friend to many people who ride bicycles in Baltimore,” said the Bikemore group in a statement on its website. “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.”
“We urge the justice system to hold the driver who killed Tom accountable for her actions,” the group said.
A spokesman for Baltimore state’s attorney’s office said he could not comment on an ongoing investigation, adding that more information would be made available in the coming days.
The street where Palermo was killed had dedicated bike lanes, but did not have physical barriers between bikers and cars.
Cook’s attorney, David Irwin, said she was upset by Palermo’s death but that he couldn’t comment on the specifics of the accident.
“Obviously, she’s very sad for the family of the victim,” said Irwin. “Other than that, I really have no comment because we’re very early on in evaluating the situation. I don’t have any police report.”
The Baltimore City state’s attorney’s office will ultimately decide whether to charge Cook, Irwin said.
Before Cook was ordained, she was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana in Caroline, County, Maryland in 2010, according to court records.
Cook received “probation before judgment,” on the charge of driving under the influence. The Maryland judicial process of “PBJ” allows some first-time offenders to complete probation instead of formally pleading guilty. Prosecutors declined to pursue marijuana possession charges.
The Baltimore Police could not be reached for comment.
