Baltimore Grand Jury Indicts Bishop Charged in Fatal DUI

A Baltimore grand jury has indicted a bishop in a collision that killed a cyclist.

Grand jurors delivered a 13-count indictment Wednesday against Heather Cook.

She struck Thomas Palermo in December, then left the scene. She later returned and police said her blood-alcohol content was .22. The legal limit in Maryland is .08. Police also said she was texting when she hit Palermo.

The Baltimore state's attorney's office says charges in the indictment include automobile manslaughter, manslaughter by vehicle, homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, texting while driving and failure to remain at the scene.

Cook was consecrated in September as bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, the diocese's second-highest position. The church has put her on leave and is investigating her conduct.