Maryland Bishop Accused Of Killing Bicyclist Has Drunk Driving History

The Maryland bishop accused of killing a bicyclist in north Baltimore on Saturday was driving the same vehicle in 2010 when police charged her with being three times over the limit for alcohol and in possession of empty liquor bottles, drugs and paraphernalia.

In that case, too, she wrecked the vehicle.

In the most recent accident, Bishop Heather Elizabeth Cook, 58, initially fled the scene in Roland Park after allegedly striking and killing bicyclist Thomas Palermo, 41, of Anneslie.

Related: Maryland Bishop Investigated in Fatal Bike Crash

As of Tuesday afternoon, charges against Cook had not been filed and Baltimore City police toldWBAL they would not release “specific information about the incident,” including the driver’s identity, because the investigation was ongoing.

The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland identified Cook as the driver.

According to the Diocese, Cook was placed on administrative leave because of the possibility of criminal charges. Cook’s lawyer said she was distraught, according to WUSA 9.

Related: Bicyclists Plan Memorial Ride for Thomas Palermo

Bicyclist Moncure Lyon and another bystander said it took about 45 minutes for Cook to return to the scene of the accident, the Baltimore Brewreported. Shortly after the crash, witnesses identified a green Subaru as the car involved, and when it drove past while they were talking, Lyon chased it down.

The car had “considerable” damage to the windshield, which was “pushed in, and there was a hole,” Lyon told The Baltimore Sun.

Lyon followed the vehicle to the nearby Elkridge Estates, a gated community where a security guard would not let him in to get the license plate number, Lyon told the Baltimore Brew.

When he returned to the scene, Cook was there talking to police, The Associated Press reported.

Members of the Episcopal Diocese say it was Cook’s sense of responsibility that brought her back 20 minutes after the collision, and they dispute the classification of the crash as a “hit and run” because she returned.

“Several news agencies have reported this as a ‘hit and run,’” Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of Maryland, said in a statement. “Bishop Cook did leave the scene initially, but returned after about 20 minutes to take responsibility for her actions.”

This is not the first problem Cook has had behind the wheel.

Four years ago, Caroline County police stopped Cook in the 2001 green wagon and found she had vomit down the front of her shirt and her vehicle smelled like burnt rubber, Fox 45 reported.

Her tire was ”shredded” and had fallen off the rim, according to the Times Record. Inside the car, police recovered whiskey, wine and marijuana, the report said.

During sobriety tests, Cook was found to have a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit and couldn’t stand up straight without falling, according to Fox 45.

She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, failure to obey a traffic control device and failure to obey lane directions, according to online court records.

While the courts dropped the other charges, Cook paid a $300 fine and was given probation before judgment for the drunk driving charge, court records show.

Before she was elected the second highest-ranking official in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland in May, Cook told church authorities of the marijuana and alcohol charges, a diocese spokesperson told The Associated Press.

Screenshot from WBAL/YouTube video of Dec. 27 crash site on Roland Avenue in north Baltimore.