Bishop Heather Cook, who has been charged in connection with the death of a cyclist, was suspected of being drunk at her own consecration, according to an official Church timeline of events.
Cook hit 41-year-old cyclist Tom Palermo after driving her SUV into a bicycle lane in Baltimore on December 27 last year. She then left the scene of the accident, but returned around 20 minutes later.
Testing showed that the bishop was three times over the alcohol limit for drivers in Maryland at the time of the incident and she later confessed in court that she has an alcohol problem.
Now a timeline posted on the website of the Diocese of Maryland shows that a bishop at the lunch before her consecration in September reported her for being drunk. The entry reads: "Bishop Sutton suspects that Cook is inebriated during pre-consecration dinner and conveys concern to Presiding Bishop. Presiding Bishop indicates she will discuss with Cook. Cook consecrated a bishop."
The Presiding Bishop was Rt Rev Katharine Jefferts Schori. The entry for October reads: "Bishop Clay Matthews from the Office of Pastoral Development for the Episcopal Church, meets with Cook. Details confidential to only the Presiding Bishop's office."
Cook had a previous conviction for drunk-driving in 2010, of which the Church's authorities were aware.
She has been released on bail of $2.5 million and was asked to resign from her position, with the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland saying they "agreed unanimously that you are no longer able to function effectively in the position of Bishop Suffragan given recent events".
