Baltimore Bishop to be charged with Manslaughter in Cyclist death

[Tim Kelley]

Convicted: 10 years in jail!

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/former.bishop.heather.cook.to.be.jailed.for.10.years.following.hit.and.run/64321.htm

[KLizotte]

Given the circumstances (history of drinking and driving, texting, fleeing the scene, etc.) 20 years seems way more appropriate!

“Prosecutors yesterday agreed a sentence of 20 years’ jail time, but with with ten years suspended and five years’ probation.”

[notlost]

@Tim Kelley 123999 wrote:

Convicted: 10 years in jail!

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/former.bishop.heather.cook.to.be.jailed.for.10.years.following.hit.and.run/64321.htm

She plead guilty, but has not yet been sentenced. The State’s recommendation carries a lot of weight, but that doesn’t mean the judge will take it.

[Terpfan]

@notlost 124011 wrote:

She plead guilty, but has not yet been sentenced. The State’s recommendation carries a lot of weight, but that doesn’t mean the judge will take it.

True. And, she’s eligible for all sorts of diminution credits in jail, reducing the actual time to something more like 6 years.

[notlost]

Seven years. Full details aren’t out yet.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-heather-cook-sentencing-20151027-story.html

[Powerful Pete]

Not certain how to feel about this. Honestly don’t know what to say.

[mstone]

The sad thing is that if she wasn’t drunk, just fiddling with her radio or something, she would have gotten off with no significant penalty.

[ginacico]

I knew Tom Palermo. We worked together at a dreary government contracting job way back when, but he also connected me with the crew at Proteus where he worked part-time and was starting up his frame shop. Nothing could ignite the sparkle in his eye like talking about bikes. He was over the moon telling me about the bike he’d just built for his girlfriend Rachel, who became his wife and mother of two beautiful kids.

Seven years is not enough, but what number would be? Though I’m glad there was a guilty plea and jail time, nothing will bring Tom back. Justice feels hollow.

I hope that we as a cycling community take all the lessons learned from this one, and persevere for better infrastructure, tougher penalties, and culture changes that may keep us safe.

[rcannon100]

Putting her away in jail for a very long time wont prove anything. It just adds trajedy to trajedy. It may satiate people’s anger, a little – but revenge isnt the same as justice.

What is missing, apparently, is a statement and action from the church. We can pretty much assume that there is a civil lawsuit pending and so we should not expect to hear anything until that is over.

This is a trajedy. It is a trajedy for everyone. The most amazing thing has been the way that the cycling community responded, genorously giving to the crowd source educational fund. Again, what is missing at this point, apparently, is a similar type of reaction on behalf of the church.

I am regularly amazed that the most ‘christian’ people I meet are not in the church and have little to no sense of religion.

[dkel]

@rcannon100 126862 wrote:

What is missing, apparently, is a statement and action from the church.

Here’s a statement. I don’t know what actions of those outlined have been taken, because I haven’t looked. I’ll let someone else do that Google search.

@rcannon100 126862 wrote:

The most amazing thing has been the way that the cycling community responded, genorously giving to the crowd source educational fund. Again, what is missing at this point, apparently, is a similar type of reaction on behalf of the church.

My jury is out on this one. Blaming the church for this accident is a little like blaming all cyclists for the bad behavior of one scofflaw cyclist. Also, the church needs to get its house in order with regard to the selection of bishops, and that may be a more important action for the church to be taking for the time being. As you point out, a civil suit may be precluding any type of monetary response the church would make at present.

@rcannon100 126862 wrote:

I am regularly amazed that the most ‘christian’ people I meet are not in the church and have little to no sense of religion.

Sorry, but this just seems superficial and judgmental to me. It takes a lot more than meeting someone to evaluate the content of their character.

[PotomacCyclist]

The sentence is not about revenge. In part, it’s about providing a deterrence to others who might otherwise choose to drive while impaired. Or it can help to scare kids and teenagers who see that someone can go to jail for years because they chose to drive drunk and killed someone else. This is part of building a culture that is not so accepting of drunk driving and distracted driving. (Yes, there’s a long way to go, but a multi-year jail sentence helps.)

It’s also about protecting the rest of us. Given that the former bishop is a serial drunk driver and an alcoholic, if she were free, it’s reasonable to think that she would engage in similar behavior again. So if she is off the streets and in jail, there’s no risk that she will be driving drunk and driving while distracted, and threatening other people on the roads. That includes cyclists, pedestrians and other drivers, all of whom are at risk of serious injury or death because of people like her.

[Vicegrip]

@rcannon100 126862 wrote:

Putting her away in jail for a very long time wont prove anything. It just adds trajedy to trajedy. It may satiate people’s anger, a little – but revenge isnt the same as justice.

What is missing, apparently, is a statement and action from the church. We can pretty much assume that there is a civil lawsuit pending and so we should not expect to hear anything until that is over.

This is a trajedy. It is a trajedy for everyone. The most amazing thing has been the way that the cycling community responded, genorously giving to the crowd source educational fund. Again, what is missing at this point, apparently, is a similar type of reaction on behalf of the church.

I am regularly amazed that the most ‘christian’ people I meet are not in the church and have little to no sense of religion.

Perhaps this might drive one person into action with the alcoholic in their life. Save a loved one and all they put at risk when drinking. It is not easy to do the right thing and there is no simple trick in helping a alcoholic but it is worth the effort. Even if you fail you tried. Most who try will fail. I can assure you sometimes people do stop drinking and regain their lives. Just as being a drunk most often requires enablers drunks can’t quit on their own. Be the energy of recovery not the helping hand enabling their destruction of others.
Drunks don’t go quite in the night. They take others with them. Damage is to all around them and is profound. Loved ones to random people who are in the wrong place e at the wrong time.

“Do onto others” includes doing what is hard. Given the wide spread nature of drinking there might be an active drunk in your life. Don’t stand by and watch or give up. Save a life even if it ends up being some random person you and he never knew you saved.

[Subby]

Every time I read anything about this story all I can do is feel completely despondent for his poor wife and kids and everyone else he loved and who loved him in return. I don’t even care what happens to whatsherface. There is absolutely nothing anyone can ever do to make the lives of his wife and children whole again. It’s an absolutely horrible, horrible thing that happened.

[consularrider]

Bump to get the spam off the front page

[ginacico]

Where I draw the line is, when she’s eventually out of jail, she should never ever be allowed to drive again. If this isn’t a case for permanently revoking someone’s driver’s license, then we’ve simply gone off the deep end. Given her past record and obvious disregard for human lives, she should have to use public transit or self-powered transportation and be forced to live a car-free existence for the rest of her life, forever, end of story.

FWIW, members of her church lined themselves up on the sidewalks during Tom’s memorial ride, holding lit candles, passing out water bottles, anything they could do that seemed appropriate expressions of condolence as hundreds of cyclists rode by in silence. The congregation is not to blame.

@Subby 126871 wrote:

all I can do is feel completely despondent

I can’t even go there, but yeah. This was too damn close to home.

[Author]

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