Fern Shen reports for Baltimore Brew:
Heather Cook, the former Episcopal bishop who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the December 2014 killing of a cyclist in a drunken crash in North Baltimore, is eligible for parole next month.
… Cook had been sentenced on October 27, 2015, to seven years in prison for the crash, which claimed the life of Thomas Palermo, a married father of two who had been out riding his bike two days after Christmas.
Cook pleaded [guilty] to vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, driving while under the influence, and texting while driving.
Asked how the state calculated her eligibility for parole, less than two years into her prison term, DPSCS media relations specialist Gerard Shields explained it this way:
“She has a seven-year sentence, but because the crime is considered non-violent, she is eligible for parole after serving 25% of it,” Shields said.
“It does seem quick,” he agreed.
