Heaven sent?

[gibber71]

Well here is one for the masses.


Phoenix bishop arrested in fatal crash

Charged with leaving scene; diocese pledges to aid inquiry


ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHOENIX, June 16 — 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. Bishop Thomas O’Brien, 67, was driven away in an unmarked detective’s car. Police said he would be booked on a charge of leaving the scene of 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.’
— MSGR. RICHARD MOYER
Diocese chief of staff POLICE SGT. Laurie Williams said detectives were investigating an accident on Saturday night in which a man was killed after being struck by two cars while crossing a street in the middle of the block. Both cars drove off.

Witnesses gave police a partial license plate number from the first car, which led investigators to the diocese, Williams said. The diocese told the police that it was O’Brien’s car, she said.
“He does admit that he was driving the vehicle and in the area at the time,” Williams said.

Police went to the bishop’s home with a search warrant and examined the car. The tan Buick’s windshield was caved in on the passenger’s side, Williams said. The warrant called for any evidence of blood, hair or glass samples, Williams said.

“We believe his vehicle was involved in an accident,” she said.
O’Brien’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

In a statement, Msgr. Richard Moyer, the diocese’s chief of staff, said the diocese would cooperate with the investigation.
“I sincerely regret reports I have received about Bishop O’Brien being involved in a fatal accident,” Moyer said. “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 victim was identified as 43-year-old Jim Reed.

Williams said the bishop had told police he was returning home after a Mass on Saturday night. Police had no information on the second car.

O’Brien has been the spiritual leader of 430,000 Catholics in Arizona since 1981.

Earlier this month, it was announced that O’Brien relinquished some of his authority in an unprecedented agreement with prosecutors that spared him from indictment on charges of obstruction of justice for protecting child-molesting priests.

O’Brien admitted that he allowed priests to work with minors after he knew of sexual misconduct allegations against them and that he transferred them to ministries without telling their new supervisors.

Under the deal, O’Brien agreed among other things to appoint the church equivalent of a chief of staff to supervise the enforcement of the church’s sexual misconduct policies.

© 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/927435.asp

Well here we go again. If it weren't for an accident and a witness,anybody think this story would have seen the light of day? Ha ha ha,..imagine ,is it possible that the church are no better than the common criminal? Oh,such blasphemy from within.

Any thoughts?

[spectre]

This guy should've gone to jail for allowing priests that abused kids to continue working with them. Let's hope he gets some jail time for this. I don't care who you are or what you do, if you break the law, your ass belongs behind bars.

[SaltPork]

He was probably hammered out of his mind with a car full of kiddie porn when it happened. Seriously though, he was probably drunk, why else wouldn't he have stopped for the guy before or after he hit him?

[YourNeverThere]

ya he probably was drunk, he probably didnt stop because he thought he could get away with it i guess. Seriously though, if you hit someone, and KILL THEM. Then your in the shit, i hope that he gets publicly denounced and punished

[MacGnG]

he should fuckin know better!
if it was a "normal person" than it wouldnt be such a big deal, it's still a HORRIBLE CRIME no matter what the status of the person is

[hotzot]

it'll be interesting to see if the bishop will go to the stripy hole.

[eyeseepeedude]

sometimes you expect better from a 'person of the cloth'...

[rogue49]

Next thing you'll know
is that they find out that to satisfy his own lust
he's placed a curse upon a couple
where he's wolf in the night, she's a hawk in the day.

May he be impaled upon a sword also.

[Prophecy]

Originally posted by spectre
This guy should've gone to jail for allowing priests that abused kids to continue working with them. Let's hope he gets some jail time for this. I don't care who you are or what you do, if you break the law, your ass belongs behind bars.

Even if the law is outdated? nvm, I'm nit picking and thinking about other threads... Anyway, it should be interesting to see what happens in this case...

[sixate]

LINKY

Bishop O'Brien arrested in fatal hit-and-run


Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, already beleaguered by a sexual misconduct scandal involving clergy, was arrested Monday in connection with a fatal hit-and-run accident in Phoenix.

The prelate's new turmoil, nearly biblical in scope, may put Arizona's Catholic leadership in limbo as it rocks a diocese that has endured months of tortured scrutiny about deviant priests who were allowed to prey on children.

Investigators say O'Brien was behind the wheel of a tan Buick Park Avenue that struck and killed Jim Lee Reed, 43, at 8:35 p.m. Saturday on Glendale Avenue just west of 19th Avenue.

The 67-year-old bishop was picked up Monday on suspicion of leaving a fatal accident scene, a Class 4 felony, and taken to Madison Street Jail. Before he could be booked, medical screeners determined that O'Brien suffered from high blood pressure. After a visit to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, he was booked into Maricopa County Jail.

Earlier in the day, he declined to speak with reporters outside his north Phoenix home, which had been cordoned off by police.

Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, who is responsible for prosecuting O'Brien, declined comment. Last month, Romley struck a deal allowing the Roman Catholic leader to avoid criminal indictment for obstructing justice in connection with priestly pedophilia cases. As part of that settlement, O'Brien admitted concealing sex abuse cases and agreed to major diocesan reforms.

O'Brien has been hounded by calls for his resignation, in some cases by prominent Catholics. Those demands are expected to accelerate as a result of his new legal woes and the moral issues associated with leaving an accident scene.

Vatican officials declined comment Monday, but Msgr. Richard Moyer, the diocese's chief of staff, said: "I sincerely regret reports I have received about Bishop 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."

Catholics were taken aback by O'Brien's plight, but most emphasize the clear distinction between the church as an institution and flawed humans who comprise its priestly hierarchy. Some wondered if the alleged hit-and-run is a manifestation of weakness -- or of panic from someone under intense stress. Many also expressed sympathy for a church paragon whose fortunes have plummeted.

Rep. Robert Meza, a Phoenix Democrat who has led a group of Hispanics upset with O'Brien's handling of the sex abuse scandal, expressed only compassion for the Bishop on Monday.

You know what? I'm saddened by the whole thing but you are innocent until proven guilty," Meza said.

"It's devastating. I think he's under a lot of pressure and the stress and pressure finally got to him," Meza added. "I hurt for him and I hope everything works out and I'm sad for the person who was killed."

Disraught members of the victim's family from Phoenix to his birthplace on the Navajo reservation said Reed's death destroyed plans for a reunion over Father's Day. "We loved him a lot," said a sister, Janice L. Acothley, of Tuba City. "We're just glad we spent all those precious moments together . . . It wasn't his time to go. We will always remember him."

Police say Reed was J-walking across Glendale Avenue when he got hit by the eastbound Buick, then run over by a second vehicle. He was pronounced dead at John C. Lincoln Hospital-North Mountain.

Both drivers left without stopping. However, a witness pursued the 2003 Buick and obtained its Arizona plate number, then returned to the scene and provided that information to police. The license number -- 547 HBE -- is registered to the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.

Sgt. Lauri Williams, a police spokeswoman, said detectives traced the car to O'Brien on Sunday, but were unable to locate him or the Buick until Monday morning. Investigators interviewed O'Brien at his north Phoenix residence. At one point he came outside with them to inspect the vehicle before it was towed to an impound yard.

Williams said O'Brien told detectives he is the only person who drives the Buick, and that he had returned from Buckeye on Saturday after officiating at an evening confirmation and Mass there. Williams said O'Brien admitted "he was driving the vehicle and he might have hit something, but we don't know more."

Reed is listed as six feet tall and 235 pounds. The right front end of O'Brien's car was damaged and the windshield was concaved and fractured.

Authorities emphasized that, at this point, O'Brien does not face a vehicular manslaughter charge. As police investigate further, two legal issues work to his benefit: Reed purportedly was crossing the street illegally; and, because O'Brien left the scene, authorities are unable to determine whether he was impaired by alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident.

Prior to O'Brien's arrest Monday, the Catholic diocese issued a notice to priests advising them of the new controversy. The message included this note: "Please keep the man who was killed in your prayers, together with his family. Please keep the bishop in your prayers in this moment of anguish."

Diocesan attorney Greg Leisse, who met with O'Brien while police were at the bishop's home, said afterward: "He seems upset, but he seems well."

If convicted and found not responsible for the homicide, O'Brien faces a sentence ranging from probation to 3¾ years in prison. A conviction based on culpability for the accident could increase the sentence to as much as 8¾ years.

Don't you all just love the hypocrisy of religion?
Well, I don't. It makes me sick. This asshole should be locked up or run over by that mans family.
The thing that drives me nuts even more is I know plenty of people who defend this guy because they have the same religious beliefs. Tell me that's not retarded. Another thing that drives me insane is I'm sure this dumb prick thinks he'll still go to heaven and spend the rest of eternity there. What a crock of shit. Shit like this is exactly why I have always been and always will be an atheist, and if there really is heaven and hell I'd much rather burn in hell for eternity than spend eternity with lying assholes like that.

[YourNeverThere]

EDIT: Threads Merged, post no longer needed

[sixate]

Didn't realize it was already posted. I haven't been around much the past few days because I've been busy. Merged threads.

[vermin]

67 years old, religious leader, he'll get probation.

[Nappa]

In his defense he said he didn't stop because he thought he hit an animal. I mean, how the hell could he expect anyone to believe that? Of all the people in the world, you would think a -Bishop- would do the right thing and turn himself in.

[Prophecy]

well, he's not a bishop anymore.....
he asked to resign and Rome accepted

[Bill O'Rights]

Well, I'd say that <b>if</b> there is a God, someone's gonna have some 'splainin' to do in a few years.

[gov135]

How the hell do you manage to get hit by TWO cars? Talk about a bad day.

It amazes me how a story like this makes people throw a blanket over a whole organization and say "bad." I would hope people here could distinguish between bad apples and the bushel.

Politicians, religious leaders, cultural leaders, celebrities, police officers, athletes, etc. do not play by the same rules as the rest of us. Because they can get off. When is the last time you saw a cop get arrested for DUI? A politician convicted? An athlete given time? Please, people. It's not right, but it's the way it is.

I'm sure the bishop here will get community service - time served due to his long service to the community. No, it's probably not right. But that's the way it is.

Tossing a blanket over the Catholic Church or any religious congregations because of one member is just plain not using your brain. Does Jim Traficant mean that all politicians are crooks? Does Rae Carruth mean that all athletes are bad apples?

[gov135]

Originally posted by spectre
This guy should've gone to jail for allowing priests that abused kids to continue working with them. Let's hope he gets some jail time for this. I don't care who you are or what you do, if you break the law, your ass belongs behind bars.

Ehhh, when you find that fair and equitable place, invite the rest of us to come live in it too, o.k.?

[WhoaitsZ]

give him maximum charges. nothing more or less. an asshole iss an asshole if he's a wolf in sheeps' clothing or simply a wolf.

[paddyjoe]

Maybe if the guy was home with his wife, it never would have happened. Oh, that's right, priests can't have wives.

Well, God finally bent some rules and let all his catholic followers have baloney sandwiches on friday, why can't he bend a little more, and allow these poor saps to get married? It just seems that the celibacy deal just doesn't work. Granted, that won't weed out all the perverts, but I'd bet a months salary that the churchs' image would improve immensely.

[Sparhawk]

Originally posted by gibber71


...

— MSGR. RICHARD MOYER

...

So that's how you shorten Monseigner.

[gibber71]

Originally posted by gov135


It amazes me how a story like this makes people throw a blanket over a whole organization and say "bad." I would hope people here could distinguish between bad apples and the bushel.



Tossing a blanket over the Catholic Church or any religious congregations because of one member is just plain not using your brain. Does Jim Traficant mean that all politicians are crooks? Does Rae Carruth mean that all athletes are bad apples?

Actual,I dispute what you say. Hundreds and hundreds of priests in Canada have geen accused and charged with sexual assault.Cases especially in regards to boarding schools,orphanages and reform schools. The government has paid out big money to save the churches ass,but they still continue to fuck up. May the Lord be with them.

At last years bishop's conference,CNN reported that there were approximately 3000 cases of priests in the USA charged with some form of sexual misconduct.What's even more interesting is that only 1 in 10 sexual assaults are ever reported.You can do the math.

[yatzr]

I think its pathetic how people can let stuff like this affect their beliefs. I don't care what your beliefs are, but the second you change them, you're lost. Without something to believe in, you don't know who you are.

It's not like bad preists and bishops is new or anything either. Hell there was one pope that had 7 kids! When napolean told the pope in 1795 that he would bring down the catholic church in one year, the pope told him that priests and bishops have been trying to do that for 1,795 years, so theres no way he could do it. But the catholic church still exists because people still stood up for what they believed in. It wasn't the bad priests and bishops the people believed in, it was a little book called the bible.

Now i don't judge what people believe in as long as they have some strong beliefs, but i get irritated when people slam a whole church for a small percentage of fuck ups. Every group of people has a few fuck ups and nobody can deny that. I hope i don't affend anyone, but that's my view on all of this crap.