Earlier this year, the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland asked a bishop who was involved in a fatal hit-and-run bicycle accident to resign from her post. According to one local news report, the Committee told the bishop that they have “agreed unanimously that you are no longer able to function effectively in the position of Bishop Suffragan given recent events.” As a result, the Committee asked her to voluntarily resign from her position.
Back in December of last year, the bishop was involved in what some are calling a hit-and-run, alcohol-induced accident involving a software engineer at John’s Hopkins Hospital. Evidently, the bishop’s blood-alcohol content at the time of the accident was .22, or 22% — almost three times the legal limit in Maryland. On top of that, evidence suggests that she was also sending a text message at the time of the fatal accident.
After hitting the bicyclist, the bishop left the scene of the accident before returning a short time later. Some in the news media have called for the bishop to be charged for a hit-and-run accident, while others see her eventual return to the scene as acknowledging her role in the accident.