The Bishop of Maryland, the Rt. Rev. Eugene Sutton, has asked the clergy of his diocese to attend a private meeting at the Claggett Conference Center in Buckeystown to discuss the accident involving his suffragan, the Rt. Rev. Heather Cook, which took the life of a cyclist. The closed-door meeting is designed to help clergy process the events surrounding the accident in a safe environment, the invitation said. On Saturday, 27 December 2014, Bishop Cook struck and killed cyclist Thomas Palermo and left the scene of the accident – returning a short time later. Local media have reported claims of witnesses who stated the bishop was texting, or using her cellphone at the time of the accident – however, the police have not released details of their investigation, nor has the state’s attorney. Bishop Sutton has placed Bishop Cook on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. In 2010 Bishop Cook was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and possessing narcotics paraphernalia. She pled guilty to those charges and received judgment before probation and paid a fine.
