Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Parole Commission has denied parole to the former Episcopal Bishop who killed a cyclist while driving drunk in Baltimore. The Baltimore Sun reports that Heather Cook is serving a seven-year sentence for drunken driving, vehicular manslaughter, driving while texting, and leaving the scene of an accident after a 2014 crash that killed 41-year-old Thomas Palermo.
According to The Baltimore Sun, Cook was driving on Roland Avenue during the December incident when she swerved into a bike lane. She struck Palermo, who was heading in the same direction on his bicycle, before driving back to her apartment. She returned to the scene of the accident 30 minutes later. Cook’s blood-alcohol content was 0.22 percent, according to Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
The Baltimore Sun reports that commission chairman David Blumberg said that these factors were considered when deciding her parole. According to Blumberg, Palermo’s helmet was stuck in Cook’s windshield, showing the severity of the accident. Even though windshield glass can be unpredictable, with one rock chip staying put for ten years and another spreading to a two-foot-long crack in 30 minutes, there is no arguing with the intensity of this collision. Cook, however, did not call emergency services.
“When she went home she did not call 911 or any emergency personnel,” Blumberg told The Baltimore Sun. “She made two calls: one to her boyfriend and one to her co-worker.”
Blumberg also said that the commission took note of Cook’s lack of remorse during the parole hearing.
CDC data shows that 9,967 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents in 2014, making up about 31% of all auto accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of these fatalities nearly doubles in the summer. Thomas Palermo was one of those 2014 victims. In a statement to reporters at the parole hearing, Palermo’s widow Rachel Palermo urged the public to think before they partake in distracted or impaired driving.
“I ask this: if you still talk on your phone or text while driving, please put your phone down,” she said. “If you plan to go out and drink, please set up a ride before you go. I want you to think of a 6- and an 8-year-old who wish their dad was still here. I want you to think of me and my pain. I want you to think of Tom’s parents and their loss. And I want you to think of your own loved ones.”
Cook’s current release date is set to March 23, 2020, according to The Baltimore Sun. Blumberg said that she could be released as early as 2019 due to good behavior and participation in prison programs.