UPDATE: September 2006: Thomas O'Brien didn't serve any time in prison for the hit and run accident for which he was convicted. The former bishop cut a deal by acknowledging that he had covered up reports of sexual misconduct by members of the clergy. He sentenced to four years' probation and 1,000 hours of community service. He completed the 1,000 hours of community service in 2006.
UPDATE: February 17, 2004: A jury today unanimousely delivered a verdict of guilty in the hit-and-run case involving Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, making him the first Catholic bishop in U.S. history to be found guilty of a felony. His sentence has not yet been determined.
UPDATE-June18, 2003: Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien has resigned, and the Pope has accepted his resignation. O'Brien was the first American Bishop to be charged with a felony, the details of which are below. Allegations that he may have been drinking prior to the accident have been raised, but no proof or witnesses has yet been made public.
Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien is in the news again. This may be the the final blow in a series of dark events involving the Bishop.
Apparently, on the evening of June 14, 2003 the Bishop struck a pedestrian who was subsequently hit by a second vehicle. The victim, Jim Reed, was 43 years old. He died from his injuries. A witness to the hit-and-run accident described the vehicle and provided the license plate number to the police. That vehicle and license plate belonged to Bishop O'Brien. According to the police report, the Bishop had been informed by the Church office that the police wanted to speak to him on Sunday, but he made no attempt to contact them prior to his arrest on Monday. It is also noted in the police report that he stated that he knew that his car had struck something, but he thought it was a dog or a cat, or that a rock had hit his windshield. He had made arrangements to have the windshield fixed Monday morning. There is no indication in the police report that Bishop O'Brien was driving impaired. Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien was arrested at his home. He was released on $45,000 bond, and his hearing on this matter is set for June 25, 2003.
No stranger to legal difficulties and national news lately, the Bishop recently acknowledged that he allowed priests who were accused of sexual misconduct to work with children. He also admitted that on many occasions he had transferred priests who might have been accused of sexual misconduct to protect them. He has since provided reams of documents to Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley. The County Attorney and the Bishop came to an agreement that in exchange for immunity from criminal prosecution, Bishop O'Brien would create a special unit within the Diocese to handle matters relative to allegations of sexual misconduct. According to Alan Cooperman of the Washington Post, "The prosecutors described the agreement, signed on May 3 by Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, as the most serious legal admission of personal wrongdoing by a Catholic prelate since the sexual abuse scandal erupted in the United States."
I believe it is safe to say that Bishop O'Brien was a very well respected and even revered member of the community for many years. With the scandal involving sexual abuse of children by as many as 50 priests under his authority, compounded by his reactions after striking a pedestrian with his vehicle, an entire community, and even nation, is affected. We mourn the passing of Mr. Reed, and we are saddened to think that a man of the Bishop's stature could think he is above the law. It remains to be seen if the Bishop will be found to be criminally liable for for Mr. Reed's death, but in any case the events of the past few days, weeks and months have made this community very uneasy.
