Episcopal bishop on leave after her car killed cyclist

BALTIMORE — An Episcopal diocese placed its No. 2 bishop on leave after she was accused of driving the car that killed a bicyclist.

The Right Rev. Heather Cook, 58, of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland was placed on administrative leave, two days after bicyclist Thomas Palermo, 41, was hit and killed, diocese spokeswoman Sharon Tillman said Monday. Cook initially left the scene of the fatal crash but returned about 20 minutes later.

"To me, she looked disoriented," said Rachel Beck, who witnessed Cook's return to the scene and the damage to the window of Cook's Subaru Forester.

Palermo died from head injuries, said Bruce Goldfarb, spokesman for the Maryland medical examiner's office.

Cook has a previous citation for drunken driving, court records show. A sheriff's deputy stopped Cook on Sept. 10, 2010, in Caroline County on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The officer wrote in a report that Cook was driving on the shoulder at 29 mph in a 50-mph zone with a shredded front tire. The deputy noted that a strong alcohol odor emanated from the vehicle and that Cook had vomit down the front of her shirt.

Cook was so intoxicated then that she couldn't finish a field sobriety test because she might have fallen and hurt herself, the officer wrote.

The minister's blood-alcohol level at the time registered 0.27%, according to the report. Maryland's legal limit is 0.08%.

The officer found two small bags of marijuana in the vehicle along with paraphernalia, a bottle of wine and a bottle of liquor.

Cook pleaded guilty to drunken driving, and the possession charges were dropped. A judge sentenced her to a fine and probation before judgment on the DUI charge, meaning her record could be cleared if she stayed out of trouble.

Tillman said Cook disclosed the earlier charges when she was vetted and ultimately was elected May 2 as the diocese's first female bishop suffragan. She was ordained as an Episcopal minister in 1988.

Flowers and messages at the scene Monday expressed sympathy for Palermo. The busy residential road included a designated bike lane.

Bike Maryland is organizing a memorial ride and vigil on New Year's Day in honor of Palermo.

Palermo was active in the cycling community in both Baltimore and the District of Columbia, said Philip Koopman, who runs a downtown Washington bike shop and knew Palermo.

"He was building frames by hand," Koopman said. "That's a tradition that had been lost in Baltimore for a while. And it was really nice to see somebody go back up there and put that kind of craftmanship and artisanship back into the bicycle business in Baltimore."

Palermo was the father of a 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.

Police continue to investigate the wreck, and no charges have been filed.

Cook's lawyer, David Irwin, said she is distraught about Palermo's death and is praying for him and his family. Police have questioned her.

Cook was placed on administrative leave "because the nature of the accident could result in criminal charges," said the Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, head of the Episcopal diocese that includes Baltimore and nine of Maryland's 23 counties.

"Together with the Diocese of Maryland, I express my deep sorrow over the death of the cyclist and offer my condolences to the victim's family," Sutton said.

Contributing: The Associated Press