Holy Hit and Run, Bishop!

[Boyo Jim]

From this AP story (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&ncid=514&e=5&u=/ap/20030617/ap_on_re_us/bishop_warrant) The Roman Catholic bishop of Phoenix was arrested Monday in a deadly hit-and-run accident after police traced a license plate number to his car and found the windshield caved in.

And this: The bishop "does admit that he was driving the vehicle and in the area at the time," Williams said.

Yet another sterling example of how our social leaders accept responsibility for their own actions.

[Chimera]

Bad Bishop! No young boys for you!

[the Lady]

Clearly he is a model citizen to be emulated and respected.

I'm just a little unclear on the details on the accident - hit by TWO cars which fled the scene? What on earth happened?

[Boyo Jim]

I'd guess it's not all that uncommon. One car hits him and knocks him into the path of another. Or he goes under the first car, and the following car doesn't see him.

[hajario]

That same mother fucker was just relieved of duites for protecting child molesting priests. Unbelievable. Time for some serious punishment. I know. We'll transfer him to a new church. That'll teach him.

Haj

[Lord Ashtar]

Originally posted by hajario
That same mother fucker was just relieved of duites for protecting child molesting priests. Unbelievable. Time for some serious punishment. I know. We'll transfer him to a new church. That'll teach him.

Haj

By any chance, do you work for the Catholic Church?

[Sublight]

Too bad you can't scare forensic evidence into silence by threatening it with eternal damnation.

[smiling bandit]

I'm not worried: God will whack him good with the "Mallet O' Spiritual Realignment".

[Jackmannii]

His windshield gets caved in, and the bishop claims he thought he hit a dog or a cat.

Maybe if he was driving a Mini-Cooper and hit a really big dog, OK. But this was a Buick.

"Diocese spokesman Jose Robles would only say the bishop "was very exhausted." Yeah, lying your butt off is very tiring.

[Chimera]

Read the article in the paper this morning.

What a minute. He "thought" that he hit a dog or a cat and didn't bother to stop???

WTF?

And when I posted the message well above, I didn't know about the 'removed from duties' thing.

And to think, this piece of work is a Bishop. A stalwart defender of God.

Give this man a ticket on the B - Ark. Fast.

[masonite]

My first question is, why hasn't he resigned as bishop yet? My second question is, why hasn't he been removed?

This is NOT what the Catholic Church needs just now. I can't help seeing this incident as symbolic of what's been going on in the sex-abuse scandal.

For God's sake! If he's not doing a Jimmy Swaggart number on TV right now, bawling his eyes out as he resigns, the church needs to remove him NOW. Not tomorrow. Not after an inquiry. Not "reduced duties". Boot. Out. Now. What the hell do you have to do to get fired from leading in the Catholic Church, anyway? :mad:

[ElwoodCuse]

Maybe he was on his way to arrest Mr. Devious.

"The Bishop!"

[Boyo Jim]

It's easy to imagine scenarios in which the bishop was entirely innocent in the accident: maybe the other car hit the guy first, and knocked him in into the bishop's path, or he appeared so quickly there was no time to avoid

In another AP story, a police spokesman says: (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=533&ncid=533&e=4&u=/ap/20030617/ap_on_re_us/bishop_charged) If the bishop had remained at the scene, in all likelihood he would not have been charged with any crime.

[masonite]

Sure, Boyo, nobody's saying it was hitting the guy that was the crime. It's fleeing the scene afterwards.

[UrbanChic]

Originally posted by masonite
My first question is, why hasn't he resigned as bishop yet? This story was highlighted on the Today show this morning. It seems at one point he tried to resign but the Church didn't accept his resignation.

[Rick]

From the L.A. Times (registration required) (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bishop17jun17000417,1,7171101.story?coll=la-headlines-nation)
Reed was crossing a busy Phoenix street in the middle of the block, said Force, the police spokesman. He was struck by a tan Buick later found to be registered to the diocese. Immediately afterward, Reed was hit by another car. Both vehicles sped away, Force said.
and
According to court documents, O'Brien also told police that he thought he had hit a dog or a cat or that someone had thrown a rock at his car.

A dog? Maybe, just maybe. A cat? Where did he think he was driving, outside of Segfried and Roy's house? Did you see the picture of the hole in the windshield? Oh my freakin lord, it's huge, the photo in the paper this morning showed it to be almost as high as the windshield of the Buick and good two feet wide. A cat Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Or a rock. Thrown by the incredible Hulk perhaps?
:wally

[black rabbit]

Maybe he thought it was his practice cat. Though usually, they spraypaint a red band around them so this sort of screwup doesn't happen.

At least the guy he hit wasn't corked.







...






What were we talking about again?

[Polycarp]

Originally posted by hajario
That same mother fucker was just relieved of duites for protecting child molesting priests. Unbelievable. Time for some serious punishment. I know. We'll transfer him to a new church. That'll teach him.

Haj

Hajario: no kidding? Not that I doubt you, but in the interests of preventing a hijack, would you kindly produce a cite for this information? (That you read it in a newspaper or heard it on the radio or TV news will satisfy me, though a website cite would be nice.)

[Blonde]

Originally posted by Rick
From the L.A. Times (registration required) (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bishop17jun17000417,1,7171101.story?coll=la-headlines-nation)

and


A dog? Maybe, just maybe. A cat? Where did he think he was driving, outside of Segfried and Roy's house? Did you see the picture of the hole in the windshield? Oh my freakin lord, it's huge, the photo in the paper this morning showed it to be almost as high as the windshield of the Buick and good two feet wide. A cat Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Or a rock. Thrown by the incredible Hulk perhaps?
:wally


Now, let's be fair -- he may have thought he hit Clifford the Big Red Dog!

If you don't have kids, you won't get it.

[dantheman]

Here you go, Polycarp.

http://www.communitypapers.com/DAILYCOURIER/myarticles.asp?P=778063&S=400&PubID=10894



O'Brien made headlines earlier this month when it was announced that he relinquished some of his authority in an unprecedented agreement with prosecutors that spared him from indictment on obstruction charges for protecting child-molesting priests.

[masonite]

This is particularly damning:

According to Maricopa County Superior Court records, O'Brien did not contact police about the accident after a fellow priest informed him Sunday night that detectives were looking for him and the vehicle. On Monday morning, the bishop made phone inquiries about replacing his damaged windshield before police confronted him.source (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0617obrien-main17.html)

This is all I can find from the Diocese of Phoenix:Monsignor Moyer Issues Statement Regarding Fatal Accident

Msgr. Richard W. Moyer, vicar general of the Diocese of Phoenix, issued the following statement June 16, 2003, as Phoenix police were investigating a fatal accident June 14 in Phoenix:

"I sincerely regret reports I have received about Bishop Thomas J. O’Brien being involved in a fatal accident. The sympathy of all of us in the Diocese of Phoenix as well as our prayerful support goes out to the victim’s family. The Diocese will cooperate fully in any police investigation. No further statement will be made while the investigation proceeds."source (http://www.diocesephoenix.org/pressRoom/june16.htm)

NOT. GOOD. ENOUGH.

He should have been removed yesterday. Every hour that passes while this man is still nominally leading the Catholic Christians of the Phoenix diocese is greater shame to the diocese and the whole church.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[Boyo Jim]

Is there any church power lower/other than the pope who can fire, or demand the resignation of, the bishop? The old guy is only firing on about half a cylinder these days! Who knows how long a decision from Rome might take?

[Rick]

Don't forget masonite that the man is still innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. So should they fire him? No not yet, but if he had any balls, he would resign as he really isn't doing the church much good right now.

Oh and Haj I can't speak for Polycarp but I find a world of difference between relieved of duites and relinquished some of his authority.

Now with those nits picked who would have thought that this is what an asshat (http://www.mhcbe.ab.ca/division/gif_misc/small_bishop.gif) actually looks like.

[hajario]

Originally posted by Rick
Oh and Haj I can't speak for Polycarp but I find a world of difference between relieved of duites and relinquished some of his authority.

OK. I was a little sloppy there. I am sorry about that. He still did admit to protecting child molesters and that was my main point.

Haj

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Mmmm....they don't do crucifixions anymore, eh?

[Monty]

masonite: And yet, no doubt, you'd be livid if your employer excoriated you in the press while you were being investigated for something. The monsignor issued a statement saying that the church would cooperate with the investigation. What part of that did you not understand?

[Mehitabel]

Latest news: the Bishop resigned this morning. It's too new for most websites but there's a banner on CNN.

What a shame for everyone involved. The police already determined that the victim was jaywalking in a part of town where that's particularly dangerous and was largely responsible for his own death, and the bishop was charged only with leaving the scene. He's just been freed on bond. His story, that he thought he'd hit an animal, would be more acceptable if it hadn't turned out that one of his priests had urged him to contact police because he might be involved in the death.

The poor schmuck was hit by a second car too, which also left the scene. I do hope they're looking as hard for this jerk too.

As for "firing" the bishop, it's not like he's a regional CEO of an ordinary corporation. And I really don't see what it has to do with the sex scandals, aside from a general sleaziness.

[Ceejaytee]

Just curious--if his windshield was broken, doesn't that mean that the man he hit flew into the air and broke the windshield? Wouldn't the bishop have seen that? How could he say it was a cat or a dog or a rock? A man's body broke his windshield. Am I reading this wrong?

[Debaser]

He might have missed it while he was sipping a vodka tonic. This reeks of a standard drunk hit and run to me. Wait until you sober up, then come forward when it's too late for the breathalizer.

On the radio this morning, they were saying that if he was drinking, and they could prove it, he would be charged with manslaughter.

[masonite]

Rick: Yes, I'm not forgetting that. Now that he's resigned, I pity the man; I hope he has the best lawyers, a fair trial, etc. I'm not even interested in the crime as a civil/legal matter; I'm interested in bishops being the sort of people who are beyond suspicion of grave sin such as not providing aid where needed. This story recalled instantly to me the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke Ch. 10. We want our bishops (speaking generally; I'm not even Catholic) to be more like the Samaritan and less like the Levite, I think. Whatever the full set of facts in this case, this bishop appeared to be running away to save his own hide. The Church can't afford even the appearance of this kind of misconduct, at this point.

Ceejaytee, having seen the pics of the windshield, I'm not able to buy the story that he thought it was a dog, cat or rock. I wish I could; if he really thought that, he'd be almost blameless. He might have stopped to check on the dog/cat, though!

[Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor]

Originally posted by Ceejaytee
Just curious--if his windshield was broken, doesn't that mean that the man he hit flew into the air and broke the windshield? Wouldn't the bishop have seen that? How could he say it was a cat or a dog or a rock? A man's body broke his windshield. Am I reading this wrong?

I saw the vehicle this morning on the news, being removed by a trailer-type wrecker.

The whole passenger side of the windshield was a ruin.

[wring]

The prosecutor was on the Today show and mentioned that the victim weighed 250 pounds. LOts of dogs and cats that big, yeppers.

also re: the second car - the man was lying in the street at the time (vs. standing up), it'd be more difficult to make a case against the second driver 'having to know' they hit a person (depending on where they hit 'em - you know running over a leg or something you wouldn't necessarily know anything major, and if the street itself was dark at that point, how would you see that it was a person, vs. a large obstruction in the street you're trying to avoid?)

Prosecutors also mentioned law in that state requries pedestrians to yeild to traffic, which would generally mean that the driver wouldn't be at fault.

but leaving the scene big no no.

not contacting the cops after being told you were being asked about - bigger no no.

instructing your staff to get your windshield fixed after being told that you were being sought for questioning after fatal hit and run - very very big no - no (verbally heard on Today show, so if it's wrong, don't cite me :D )

[macabresoul]

Originally posted by Sublight
Too bad you can't scare forensic evidence into silence by threatening it with eternal damnation.

:p

Talk about bluntly speaking

Very well put

[Blonde]

Originally posted by wring
The prosecutor was on the Today show and mentioned that the victim weighed 250 pounds. LOts of dogs and cats that big, yeppers.

also re: the second car - the man was lying in the street at the time (vs. standing up), it'd be more difficult to make a case against the second driver 'having to know' they hit a person (depending on where they hit 'em - you know running over a leg or something you wouldn't necessarily know anything major, and if the street itself was dark at that point, how would you see that it was a person, vs. a large obstruction in the street you're trying to avoid?)

Ah, I had wondered whether the Bishop was the first or second car to hit the victim, thanks for clarifying. Man, if you can't see well enough to know that the 250 lb object that just destroyed your windshield was a human, you shouldn't be driving.
Is it just me, or have there been a lot of hit-and-run tragedies lately? In Dallas, the trial has started against a woman who hit a pedestrian -- and then kept going, parked her car in her garage - WITH THE VICTIM STILL EMBEDDED IN THE DASHBOARD. He died there (hopefully sooner rather than later) and she allegedly then dumped the body somewhere. :eek: (Sorry for the hijack)

[masonite]

Ah, that would be Chante Mallard, no? A charmer, that woman.

And unfortunately the guy lived in the windshield for at least a day or two, I recall.

[Blonde]

Originally posted by masonite
Ah, that would be Chante Mallard, no? A charmer, that woman.

And unfortunately the guy lived in the windshield for at least a day or two, I recall.

I don't think we know conclusively how long he lived, but as I recall (sorry, no cite) when the story first broke, it was reported that she went into the house, had sex with her boyfriend (??) - and that the man was crying for help from her garage at some point.
Also in my neck of the woods: woman who drove over her cheating husband (with daughter in the car) -- and the Cowboys player who mowed down a Good Samaritan and didn't stop.
Vehicles are deadly weapons around these parts.