MARYLAND
WBAL
The second-highest leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland will be charged with vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving and other counts stemming from a hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Baltimore’s top prosecutor said Friday.
An arrest warrant also will be issued for Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook, 58, whose blood-alcohol level tested at .22 after the wreck, nearly triple Maryland’s legal limit for driving, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said at a news conference.
Cook’s attorney, David Irwin, did not immediately return a message seeking comment Friday.
Cook was driving a car that hit Tom Palermo, a 41-year-old father of two, on Dec. 27. Palermo died from head injuries the same day at a hospital, according to Bruce Goldfarb, spokesman for the Maryland medical examiner’s office.
The diocese and police confirmed the driver initially left the scene of the crash, then returned. The diocese and a witness reported that Cook left the scene for about 20 minutes before returning.
In a statement, Palermo’s sister-in-law thanked Mosby, who took office Monday.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the events leading up to the senseless hit-and-run accident that claimed Tom’s life, and support the prosecutor’s efforts to hold Bishop Heather Cook accountable for her actions to the fullest extent of the law,” said Alisa Rock, Palermo’s sister-in-law and the family’s spokeswoman.
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