Former bishop who killed Baltimore cyclist must use ignition interlock, undergo treatment for at least 5 years

From Baltimore-

Heather Cook, a former Episcopal bishop who was released from prison this week after serving 3½ years for killing a Baltimore bicyclist while driving drunk, must participate in Maryland’s ignition interlock program and undergo treatment and testing for alcohol and drug addiction for at least five years.

Cook, 62, learned of these and other conditions of her five-year probation at a meeting with parole and probation officials within hours of her release Tuesday, according to David Irwin, her attorney.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Timothy J. Doory imposed the conditions on Oct. 27, 2015, as part of a seven-year sentence he gave Cook for the crash that killed Thomas Palermo, a software engineer and married father of two young children, the previous December.

Cook’s parole and probation officer has the discretion to refine those and other terms of Cook’s probation, but not to add new ones, Irwin said Thursday.

More here-

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-cook-probation-terms-20190516-story.html

Report: Ex-bishop Heather Cook to advocate for female inmates, addicts after release from prison

From Baltimore-

Former Episcopalian Pastor Heather Cook, who was released from prison Tuesday, said in a new interview that she plans to advocate for women in prison and for those recovering from addiction.
Cook — the first female bishop in the Diocese of Maryland — was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence after she struck and killed cyclist Thomas Palermo in 2014.

She served a little over half her seven-year sentence and will be on supervised parole and probation for five years.

She served a little over half her seven-year sentence and will be on supervised parole and probation for five years.

More here-

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-heather-cook-interview-20190515-story.html

Ex-Episcopal bishop who killed bicyclist gets out of prison

From Baltimore-

A former Episcopal bishop who fatally struck a bicyclist while drunk and texting behind the wheel was released Tuesday from a Maryland prison after spending more than three years behind bars.

Heather Cook was the second-highest-ranking Episcopal leader in the state when the fatal crash occurred two days after Christmas 2014. Thomas Palermo, a software engineer and a married father of two, was fatally struck by Cook's vehicle as he rode his bicycle in Baltimore.

She served just over half of the seven-year sentence she originally received for Palermo's death, according to corrections spokesman Gerard Shields. She had earned good behavior credits and authorities have described her as a "model inmate" at the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women.

More here-

https://www.foxnews.com/us/ex-episcopal-bishop-who-killed-bicyclist-gets-out-of-prison 

and here-

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/heather-cook-released-from-jail/27467514

Former bishop who killed cyclist in 2014 will be released from jail

From Baltimore-

A former Episcopal bishop who killed a cyclist in 2014 will be released from jail in May.

According to officials, Heather Cook will be released from jail and placed on probation until October 2022, meeting regularly with an agent and being supervised. 

That means Cook will have served 3 1/2 years of her seven-year sentence after she was convicted of killing bicyclist Thomas Palermo on Dec. 27, 2014. 

At the time, Cook was the second ranking official in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. 

Cook pleaded guilty in September 2015 to auto manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, driving while texting and leaving the scene of an accident. She kept going and then returned to the scene more than a half hour later.

More here-

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/ex-bishop-who-killed-cyclist-in-2014-to-be-released-from-jail/27326703 

and here-

https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/04/30/former-bishop-heather-cook-who-killed-cyclist-while-drunk-driving-to-be-released-from-jail-next-month/

Former Episcopal Church bishop Heather Cook seeks to serve rest of sentence for drunken-driving death at home

From Maryland- (more links below)

Nearly three months after a Baltimore judge turned down her request for early release, former Episcopal Bishop Heather Cook asked again to serve the remainder of her prison sentence at home for the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist while she was driving drunk.

Cook, 62, is being considered for home detention status, according to a letter sent to the victim’s family from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and shared with The Baltimore Sun.

She was sentenced to seven years in prison after killing cyclist Tom Palermo with her car in December 2014 on Roland Avenue in North Baltimore while driving drunk and texting.

Palermo, 41, was a senior software engineer for Johns Hopkins Hospital, a husband and a father of two young children. His sister-in-law said she “vigorously” opposes Cook’s request.

More here-

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-cook-home-detention-20190129-story.html

and here-

https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2019/01/29/ex-episcopal-bishop-heather-cook-again-seeks-home-detention/

and here-

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/ex-bishop-who-struck-killed-bicyclist-seeks-home-detention

and here

https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/01/29/heather-cook-asks-for-home-detention-after-fatally-hitting-bicyclist-with-car-while-drunk/

and here-

https://www.carrollcountytimes.com/bs-md-cook-home-detention-20190129-story.html

Ex-Episcopal Bishop Heather Cook to remain in prison

From Baltimore-

A Baltimore judge denied this afternoon a reduction in Heather E. Cook’s prison sentence that would have meant almost immediate release for the former Episcopal bishop who killed a bicyclist while driving drunk in 2014.

Cook’s lawyers argued for mercy, saying the 62-year-old had been rehabilitated.

But Circuit Court Judge Timothy J. Doory refused. He cited the words of a mentor on the bench whose dictum was “concurrent time is no time at all.”

“Can I justify no time at all for leaving the scene [of a fatal accident]? I’m sorry to say, I cannot,” Doory said.

Cook had been asking that two of her four sentences be changed from consecutive to concurrent, a change which Doory said would essentially mean she was never punished for leaving the accident scene.

More here-

https://baltimorebrew.com/2018/11/05/ex-episcopal-bishop-heather-cook-to-remain-in-prison/ 

also here-

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-cook-sentence-hearing-20181031-story.html

Victim’s Family Speaks Out After Ex-Bishop Seeks Early Release: ‘Please Stand By Original Sentencing’

From Baltimore-

A former Episcopal bishop who fatally hit a young father while she was driving drunk wants out of prison.

The former bishop, Heather Cook, is asking a judge to alter her sentence, less than four years after killing the man while he was riding his bike on Roland Ave.

Ex-Bishop Who Killed Cyclist Could Be Released Next Month

She was drunk, texting and left the scene where 41-year-old Thomas Palermo was left to die in a bike lane.

His family is adamant that they do not want her to walk free, with 20 letters from family and friends begging a judge to deny her request.

She has served less than three years after she hit the cyclist two days after Christmas in 2014. But now she is asking the court to alter her sentence in a way that would make her eligible for release in early November.

More here-

https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/10/10/victims-family-speaks-out-after-ex-bishop-seeks-early-release-please-stand-by-original-sentencing/

The Heather Cook case: a timeline

From Baltimore-

Following are key dates in the case of Heather Cook, the former Episcopal bishop now serving a prison term for fatally striking bicyclist Tom Palermo with her car while driving drunk and texting. She has applied for a two-year reduction in her sentence.

2010 — Cook is arrested, pleads guilty to a drunken-driving charge in Caroline County

May 2, 2014 — Cook is narrowly elected as bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland

Sept. 6, 2014 — Cook is consecrated as first female bishop in Maryland diocese history

Dec. 27, 2014 — Cook fatally strikes bicyclist Tom Palermo while driving drunk and texting in North Baltimore.

More here

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-cook-case-timeline-20181009-story.html 

also here-

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-opposes-cook-early-release-20181009-story.html

Ex-bishop who fatally struck cyclist seeks sentencing change

From The Washington Post-

A former Episcopal bishop imprisoned for fatally striking a bicyclist with her car while drunk could be released as early as next month if a Baltimore judge approves her request to modify how she is serving her sentence.

Heather Cook has asked Baltimore Circuit Judge Timothy Doory to change two of her four sentences from consecutive to concurrent status. That could cut two years off the seven-year sentence Doory imposed for the 2014 crash that killed Tom Palermo.

If Doory agrees to Cook’s full request, state prison officials said credits Cook has accrued, in accordance with state law, through participation in prison programs would be applied against her revised five-year sentence. That would make her eligible for release on Nov. 5 — the date the judge has set for a hearing on the motion.

If Doory denies the request, Cook is set to be released on Aug. 6.

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ex-bishop-who-fatally-struck-cyclist-seeks-sentencing-change/2018/10/06/b9b86c1c-c8ca-11e8-b2b5-79270f9cce17_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.2c3c65d8cc4d

A look at ex-Baltimore bishop Heather Cook's time behind bars, according to her case file

From Baltimore-
 
Former Episcopal bishop Heather Cook’s criminal case file indicates she has been active in prison programs while serving a nearly three years of her original seven-year sentence for fatally striking bicyclist Tom Palermo with her car while drunk.

Her participation has earned her enough credits that her sentence has been shortened by more than three years; she is scheduled to be released Aug. 6 of next year and could be freed next month if her most recent request to the court is approved.

Alisa Rock, a sister of Palermo’s wife, Rachel, said in an email to The Baltimore Sun that she “vehemently” opposes Cook’s application.

“Each of Cook’s attempts to reduce her sentence traumatizes my sister and her family anew,” she said.

More here-

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-cook-behind-bars-20181005-story.html

Ex-bishop who fatally struck bicyclist seeks sentencing change that could lead to release from prison next month

From Baltimore-

A former Episcopal bishop serving a prison sentence for fatally striking a bicyclist with her car while drunk could be released as early as next month if a Baltimore judge approves her request to modify how she is serving her sentence.

Heather Cook has asked Baltimore Circuit Judge Timothy Doory to change two of her four sentences from consecutive to concurrent status. That could cut two years off the seven-year sentence Doory imposed for the 2014 crash that killed Tom Palermo.

If Doory agrees to Cook’s full request, state prison officials said credits Cook has accrued, in accordance with state law, through participation in prison programs would be applied against her revised five-year sentence. That would make her eligible for release on Nov. 5 — the date the judge has set for a hearing on the motion.

If Doory denies the request, Cook is set to be released on Aug. 6.

More here-

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-cook-applies-sentence-reduction-20181004-story.html

Heather Cook, ex-bishop convicted of fatally striking bicyclist with car in Baltimore, applies for work release

From Baltimore-

Heather E. Cook, the former Episcopal bishop serving a prison sentence for fatally striking a bicyclist with her car while drunk in 2014 in Baltimore, has applied for a work release program.

Cook’s application is under review, according to a prisons spokesman and a letter sent to the victim’s family and shared with The Baltimore Sun.

The prison system’s Victim Service Unit said in the July 19 letter to the family of Thomas Palermo that placement of Cook “is to begin within the next several weeks.”

But Gerard Shields, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, said in an email that “there is no set time on when she would be approved or begin working” and he does not know why the letter gave that time frame.

Shields said the department’s review “is not a quick process” and that Cook is first undergoing a medical examination “to determine if she can work.”

Alisa Rock, a sister of Palermo’s wife, said in an email to The Sun that she opposes Cook’s application for work release. She said that by applying, Cook “once again attempts to limit the consequences of her actions.”

More here-

 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-heather-cook-work-release-20180726-story.html

and here-

http://mynorthwest.com/1062610/former-bishop-who-killed-cyclist-applies-for-work-release/

Ex-bishop doesn't merit early release from prison

From Baltimore-

I am outraged that Heather Cook, the former Episcopal priest, has the audacity to request to be released from prison after serving only two and a half years, not even four years after killing bicyclist Tom Palermo in a horrendous turn of events in which she showed herself to have no moral compass, her professional life that of a complete hypocrite and a repeated danger to the public (“Former Episcopal Bishop Heather Cook applies to serve rest of sentence on home detention,” May 2).

She was over three times the legal limit for alcohol and texting when she swerved and struck Palermo. He rolled off the hood of her car, and then she sped off to escape detection and elude witnesses, leaving him to die on the side of Roland Avenue. After she realized she would be found, she turned herself in. When questioned, she lied and said she didn't realize she had hit someone.

After her being charged, she spent 13 days in a luxurious addiction treatment center on the Chesapeake Bay, planning on doing "more extensive treatment" there. She was free on bail for almost a year. So it's not like she has actually served the time between killing her victim in December 2014, and now, May 2018. 

More here-

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-rr-bishop-biker-letter-20180503-story.html

Former Episcopal bishop Heather Cook is requesting home detention

From Baltimore-

Heather Cook, the former Episcopal bishop who pleaded guilty to the hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a 41-year-old bicyclist in 2014, has requested home detention.

“Ms. Cook is asking for home detention, she is not as yet under consideration for home detention,” said Gerard Sheilds, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Before the request could be granted, he said, it would have to survive “a very tedious process.”
“We would have to inspect her home plan, where she would be staying, check her sponsor, check her recovery plan – it’s like a parole hearing,” he said.

Cook has been incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup since her October 27, 2015 sentencing.

Family members of cyclist Tom Palermo, who were formally notified of the request, were incensed by the idea that Cook might be released early.

“Obviously, I oppose this,” said a family member who asked not to be identified by name. “We oppose this, and I will write a letter stating the reasons for the family opposing it.”

More here-

https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2018/05/02/former-episcopal-bishop-heather-cook-is-requesting-home-detention/ 

and here-

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-heather-cook-home-detention-20180502-story.html

US Episcopal Church ‘in denial’ over substance abuse among its leaders

From The Church Times-

THE Episcopal Church in the United States has failed to address substance abuse within its senior ranks because of “an impaired system that maintains denial, and helplessness toward addiction, mental illness, and physical disease”, a report on its leadership has concluded.

The Report of the Commission on Impairment and Leadership in the Episcopal Church was published by the House of Deputies earlier this month.

Its investigation was prompted by the case of the former Suffragan Bishop of Maryland, Heather Cook, who is serving seven years in prison for killing a cyclist, Thomas Palermo, while driving drunk in January 2015 (News, 30 October 2015).

Ms Cook was picked up by the police, who gave her a breathalyser test and found that she was nearly treble the legal limit. She later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other offences, including texting while driving, drink-driving, and leaving the scene of an incident.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/29-march/news/world/us-episcopal-church-in-denial-substance-abuse-leaders

A MESSAGE FROM THE STANDING COMMITTEE

From Maryland-

March 22, 2018

Dear Friends in Ministry,

The Episcopal Church created a Commission on Impairment and Leadership to study “matters involving the serious impairment of individuals serving as leaders in the Church, with special attention to issues of addiction and substance abuse.” The work was initiated by the crisis in our diocese: the death of Thomas Palermo caused by then Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook who was driving while impaired. The report of the Commission was just released and can be found here. As part of the Standing Committee’s ongoing commitment to nurturing our relationships in ministry and building trust, we commend the report to you.

The Standing Committee is a body of four lay and four clerics elected by Diocesan Convention to fulfill certain canonical functions and to serve as a body of advice to the bishops. We gathered with our bishops for a retreat on Saturday March 17, 2018 to continue the conversation on impairment in church leadership. Peggy Treadwell, editor of Edwin Friedman’s Failure of Nerve, guided us in reflecting on the last three generations of diocesan leadership including both clergy and laity. We saw patterns of behavior that have developed in our diocesan system. We identified areas of needed work as we move forward building mutual trust across our diocese.

More here-

https://mailchi.mp/episcopalmaryland/message-from-standing-committee-03-23-2018

PANEL: EPISCOPAL CHURCH STILL LACKS ACCOUNTABILITY ON DRUGS

From Baltimore-

A study commissioned after an Episcopal bishop killed a bicyclist while driving drunk in Baltimore criticizes the church's handling of substance abuse issues and highlights systemic deficiencies.

The Baltimore Sun cites a March report from the Commission on Impairment and Leadership that concludes the policies and cultural attitudes of the Episcopal Church U.S.A. have enabled an "abdication of accountability" and prevented clergy members and communities from addressing "impaired clergy." The church's House of Bishops commissioned the study.

The 11-person panel of Episcopal leaders used case studies to determine the church has "an inadequate theological understanding of forgiveness," which superseded taking responsibility for the consequences of behavior. The report said that the church's structure detrimentally impacted nearly every examined case by essentially fostering inaction.

More here-

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MD_BICYCLIST_KILLED_EPISCOPAL_CHURCH_REPORT_MDOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Panel: Episcopal Church still lacks accountability on drugs

From The Washington Post-

A study commissioned after an Episcopal bishop killed a bicyclist while driving drunk in Baltimore criticizes the church’s handling of substance abuse issues and highlights systemic deficiencies.

The Baltimore Sun cites a March report from the Commission on Impairment and Leadership that concludes the policies and cultural attitudes of the Episcopal Church U.S.A. have enabled an “abdication of accountability” and prevented clergy members and communities from addressing “impaired clergy.” The church’s House of Bishops commissioned the study.

The 11-person panel of Episcopal leaders used case studies to determine the church has “an inadequate theological understanding of forgiveness,” which superseded taking responsibility for the consequences of behavior. The report said that the church’s structure detrimentally impacted nearly every examined case by essentially fostering inaction.

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/panel-episcopal-church-still-lacks-accountability-on-drugs/2018/03/22/93f4a27e-2e39-11e8-8dc9-3b51e028b845_story.html?utm_term=.c22fee3514c5

Report following Heather Cook case finds Episcopal Church in denial about alcohol abuse

From Baltimore-

The Episcopal Church U.S.A. has done little to address alcohol abuse in its upper ranks, despite the 2014 death of a Baltimore cyclist killed in a drunk-driving hit-and-run by then-Bishop Heather Cook.

Instead, the church remains mired in a “system of denial and helplessness,” concluded a commission set up by the Episcopal House of Bishops after the widely publicized indictment and conviction of Cook, one-time suffragan bishop of the Maryland Diocese.

Cook is now serving a seven-year term for manslaughter, having been denied early parole after a hearing last May in which she accepted no responsibility for the death of Tom Palermo, a 41-year-old software engineer and father of two.

“The commission has discovered that in many instances, church polity has impeded the ability of the church to intervene, assess and treat impaired people and care for the injured community,” the report, released online yesterday, noted.

“The Report of the Commission on Impairment and Leadership,” took a case-study approach, “identifying several cases involving deacons, priests, and bishops across the span of their vocational life.”

More here-

https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2018/03/21/report-following-heather-cook-case-finds-episcopal-church-in-denial-about-alcohol-abuse/

Baltimore Sun skips key angle in DUI bishop case: Why was Heather Cook using that cellphone?

From Get Religion-

There are limits to how much of a recap a given news story can provide. The Baltimore Sun is not The New Yorker magazine, so a 20,000-word treatise isn't to be expected. But there's one journalistic point worth mentioning that the Sun skipped.

Our own tmatt, a longtime resident of Charm City, deserves credit for noting this: We still do not know, more than two years after the accident, who Cook was texting at the time of the crash.

Was she on a personal smartphone or one belonging to the diocese? And why isn't the Sun trying to find out? There could be legal and financial ramifications there.

Was the communication work related? Was she contacting someone in the diocese on official business? That Cook was using mobile technology has not only been widely reported but "driving while texting" was one of the charges to which she pled guilty.

More here-

https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2017/5/15/baltimore-sun-skips-key-angle-in-dui-bishop-case-why-was-heather-cook-using-that-cellphone