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Maryland Episcopal Bishop Heather Cook Indicted on Homicide and Drunk Driving Charges

  • Amanda Casanova

    Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and…

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  • Updated Feb 05, 2015

An Episcopal bishop has been indicted after she killed a bicyclist while driving.

Episcopal Bishop Heather Cook was indicted this week on 13 charges, including homicide, drunk driving, texting while driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Cook, 58, was charged with killing Thomas Palermo in December, who was riding his bike and then hit by Cook.

According to the Washington Post, Cook reportedly registered a .22 breathalyzer reading after the accident.

Attorneys say that Cook could face more than 20 years in prison if convicted.

This isn’t Cook’s first drunken-related charge. In 2010, Cook was charged for a drinking-and-driving incident. Its unclear how much Episcopal officials knew about the incident before she was named as a candidate for bishop.

The diocese says that they didn’t question Cook’s drinking because they wanted to respect her privacy.

She is the Diocese of Maryland’s first female bishop, but officials have asked for her resignation.

Recently, it’s been suspected that Cook was drunk during a pre-consecration dinner held just two nights before she was made bishop. 

A court date is expected this month.

Publication date: February 5, 2015