MARYLAND
The New York Times
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
JAN. 9, 2015
BALTIMORE — Two days after Christmas, Thomas Palermo took advantage of a rare moment of free time to do what he loved most: ride his bike up a busy road popular with cyclists for its challenging hill and wide bike lanes, the afternoon sun warming his face. About the same time, the police say, an Episcopal bishop got into her car, her blood-alcohol level far above the legal limit, and drove toward him.
Not long after, Mr. Palermo, 41, lay dying the street, killed, the police say, by the drunken, texting bishop with a history of driving while intoxicated who left the scene for nearly half an hour. On Friday, the state’s attorney for Baltimore City announced charges against Suffragan Bishop Heather Cook, one of the highest ranking officials in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, including criminal negligent manslaughter, driving while impaired and texting, and leaving the scene of an accident.
“This is an extremely tragic incident,” said Marilyn J. Mosby, the state’s attorney, in one of her first official acts since winning election last fall. Ms. Mosby said she had met with Mr. Palermo’s family and had “assured them that no one is above the law.”
Ms. Mosby said Bishop Cook, 58, elected last year to the No. 2 position in the diocese despite having pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2010, was found to have a 0.22 blood-alcohol level when brought to the police station after she returned to the crash site. The legal limit in Maryland is 0.08.
The handling of the case has become a flash point for several issues — including the fairness of the criminal justice system, which some critics said failed to move as quickly as it should have to charge Bishop Cook; the due diligence in vetting a high-ranking woman in the church; and bike safety.
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