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Bishop Mcmanus Arraigned in Oui Case; Lawyer Says Crash Disabled Other Driver

By Shaun Sutner
Telegram & Gazette
May 7, 2013

http://www.telegram.com/article/20130507/NEWS/105079802/1116

The Narragansett, R.I., home of Bishop McManus (T&G Staff/SHAUN SUTNER)

During a brief court appearance in district court this morning, Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

He is scheduled to appear in traffic court next Wednesday to answer to a charge of failing to submit to a chemical breath test.

The bishop, 61, was arrested in his hometown of Narragansett, R.I., Saturday night.

Bishop McManus was allegedly in a hit-and-run accident with a 2008 Hyundai on Boston Neck Road at Bridgetown Road, about two miles from his vacation home in Bonnet Shores, a picturesque waterfront neighborhood.

The driver of the car that the bishop's 2012 Honda allegedly hit, police dispatcher John Smith, called 911 to report the bishop was driving erratically and crossing the center line. He then followed the bishop to his home at 215 Col. John Gardner Road, where police arrested him.

Mr. Smith told police he hit his head on the driver-side window and suffered neck pain. He declined medical attention at the scene. The front driver's side of the bishop's car was damaged, according to the police report.

Mr. Smith's lawyer, Thomas R. Ricci, said a doctor has determined that his client is disabled because of the accident. Mr. Smith, a dispatcher for the Warwick Police Department, has been out injured since the accident and is seeing an orthopedic surgeon and a neurologist, according to Mr. Ricci.

Bishop Robert McManus stands in court this morning with his lawyer, William Murphy, left, in South Kingstown, R.I. (ASSOCIATED PRESS/Providence Journal)

He said Mr. Smith suffered several injuries, which he declined to specify, and anticipates filing claims against the bishop and the owner of the vehicle the bishop was driving.

Mr. Smith's wife, Laura, spoke to reporters today, describing the damage to her husband's car:

"Enough," she said. "It's all in the police report."

She declined to comment further.

At the bishop's home, he failed sobriety tests, slurred his words, was unsteady on his feet and had noticeably bloodshot eyes, the police report said.

The bishop initially told police he had a glass of wine with dinner in Providence, but later said he had two drinks – a Manhattan and a glass of wine with a dinner of pasta and steak around 7 p.m.

At the police station, the bishop was read his Miranda rights and refused to take a chemical test and use the telephone, the police report said.

Narragansett police Capt. Sean Horrigan, in an interview at the police station after the arraignment, said officers did not know who the Most Rev. McManus was, and the bishop was polite and cooperative during the 10:32 p.m. arrest.



“He was a perfect gentleman, which is unusual in this line of work,” the captain said.

During the arraignment, the bishop, dressed in black slacks, blazer and loafers and a clerical collar, raised his right hand and was sworn in by Judge Walter Gorman.

The bishop's Rhode Island lawyer, William Murphy, entered the not guilty pleas. The bishop was released on personal recognizance; his next court date is a pretrial conference May 28.

Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, is the former speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives.

A throng of reporters and television cameras waited for the bishop and his lawyer outside the courthouse, which is a few miles from Narragansett Beach, a popular tourist area.

With Bishop McManus standing beside him, Mr. Murphy told reporters he had instructed the bishop not to comment beyond the written statement of apology the bishop issued Monday morning.

“He apologized. It was an unfortunate incident,” Mr. Murphy said. “He feels bad for what happened.”

Asked why the bishop is contesting the misdemeanor charges after acknowledging that he had driven after consuming alcohol and making a commitment to accept the consequences, Mr. Murphy said, “it is the court process.”

The bishop's Monday statement said:

“On Saturday evening, May 4, I made a terrible error in judgment by driving after having consumed alcohol with dinner,” the bishop said in a statement released Monday morning after news stories appeared about the arrest. “There is no excuse for the mistake I made, only a commitment to make amends and accept the consequences of my action.”



The bishop's 1,200-square-foot ranch-style house was once Bishop McManus' late mother's home, said Raymond Delisle, a diocese spokesman. The property is valued at $476,400, according to town assessor records.

Neighbors today said the bishop and his relatives host family gatherings and cookouts at the house, which has been in the family for years.

"It's very quiet. No loud parties or drinking," said Michael Stanziano, a neighbor who has lived at 219 Col. John Gardner Road since 1983.

"He just made a mistake. Who are we to judge?" Mr. Stanziano said.

Nobody answered the door at the bishop's house today. A silver Toyota Camry was parked in front.

The house, which has a view of Narragansett Bay, is in a neighborhood of both modest and upscale homes.

Bishop McManus has overseen the Worcester Catholic Diocese since 2004. A Rhode Island native who grew up in Narragansett, he is the former auxiliary bishop of the Providence diocese.

In recent weeks, the bishop has publicly come out against a proposal to build a slot machine gambling parlor on an empty industrial site near downtown Worcester.

The bishop did not say Mass in Worcester Sunday. He was not scheduled to preside over the Mass because he was in Narragansett at a family gathering, Mr. Delisle said.



Bishop McManus was at work at his office in the diocese chancery Monday morning, Mr. Delisle said.

“I ask forgiveness from the good people whom I serve, as well as my family and friends, in the Diocese of Worcester and the Diocese of Providence,” his statement continued.

Bishop McManus, who earns approximately $25,000 in addition to the use of the bishop's residence on High Ridge Road on Worcester's West Side, is paying his lawyer out of his own funds, Mr. Delisle said.

The bishop was released to a local friend at 2:55 a.m., nearly five hours after the accident, the police report said.

Contact Shaun Sutner by e-mail at ssutner@telegram.com and on Twitter @ssutner.

 

 

 

 

 




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