Heather Cook - The suspended suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland has been indicted on additional counts by a Baltimore grand jury on Wednesday over a fatal DUI accident that led to the death of a popular cyclist in Dec. 2014.
According to the Baltimore state attorney's office, Heather Cook, who had been leveled with several charges including manslaughter, homicide with a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, has been indicted on new charges including drunk driving, texting while driving, reckless driving and negligent driving.
Experts say Cook could spend up to 20 years in jail if she if found guilty.
Heather Cook made history after she became the first female to be consecrated as a bishop in the city of Maryland in May 2014. Despite winning the votes of over 300 members of the clergy, new documents show that leaders of the Diocese had gotten hints that she had problems with alcohol.
A timeline posted on the Diocese of Maryland website says just days before Cook was consecrated she was suspected to have become inebriated at a private gathering held by Bishop Katherine Jeffery Scholari, the national leader of the Episcopal Church.
Cook's DUI accident that led to the death of cyclist Tom Palermo in Dec. last year is reportedly the second DUI she has had in less than 5 years. In 2010, Cook was arrested in Preston for drunk driving. Reports indicate that officers recovered marijuana and other drug paraphernalia from her car during that arrest.
Cook has posted a $2.5 million bail. She is said to be currently receiving treatment for alcohol abuse and is set to appear in court next month for her arraignment.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland has relieved Cook of her role as suffragan bishop. She had been put on an administrative leave after her fatal DUI accident.
