Maryland Bishop, Episcopal Clergy to Discuss Fatal Bike Crash

Ten days after an Anneslie man was hit while cycling in Roland Park a prominent church official implicated, the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland is holding a meeting to discuss the matter.

Bishop Suffragan Heather Elizabeth Cook, the first female bishop in the diocese, was behind the wheel of her Subaru at the time of the fatal Dec. 27 crash, according to the diocese, which placed her on administrative leave the following day.

Now, national church leaders have filed a complaint alleging that Cook may have violated church law, according to NBC Washington.

The Right Rev. Bishop Eugene Sutton, head bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, is bringing together members of the clergy Tuesday, Jan. 6, to discuss the case.

The closed-to-the-public meeting will be held at the Claggett Center in Frederick County, where members of the clergy will “process the tragic events ... that involved a colleague,” Episcopal Diocese of Maryland spokeswoman Sharon Tillman told The Baltimore Sun.

No charges have been filed in the crash as of Monday, Jan. 5.

Baltimore police have stayed tightlipped about the crash, telling the Christian Post that the evidence is still being processed, the investigation is ongoing and the incident is “perhaps more complex than ... a shooting.”

Family and friends buried the cyclist—Thomas Palermo, 41—over the weekend, following a New Year’s Day memorial bike ride that attracted more than 1,000 people.

Want more Towson news? Sign up for the Towson Patch daily newsletter.

Clergy from the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland will meet at the Claggett Center in Adamstown on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Photo Credit: Claggett Center.

Related:

• More Than 700 Take Memorial Ride to Honor Anneslie Cyclist
• Funeral Service Planned for Cyclist Thomas Palermo, 41
• Maryland Bishop Investigated in Fatal Bike Crash
• Bicyclists Plan Memorial Ride for Thomas Palermo
• Maryland Bishop Accused Of Killing Bicyclist Has Drunk Driving History
• Diocese Knew of Bishop’s DUI, ‘Practiced Forgiveness’