Bishop's conviction on felony apparently a first for a U.S. prelate

Published: 2004-02-18

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien was convicted Feb. 17 of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, a felony, it was apparently the most serious criminal conviction of a bishop in U.S. history. Bishop O'Brien resigned as head of the Phoenix Diocese four days after he struck a pedestrian, Jim L. Reed, who was crossing a dark street in midblock. Reed, 43, was killed. Witnesses took down the license plate number and police traced the car to Bishop O'Brien. A jury convicted him after three weeks of testimony in Maricopa County Superior Court. He could receive a sentence ranging from probation to 45 months in prison. A presentence hearing has been set for March 12. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had no data compiled about bishops involved in criminal cases. But a search of news archives shows that the most prominent previous U.S. criminal case involving a bishop was the 1985 plea of guilty to driving while intoxicated by the late Archbishop John R. Roach of St. Paul-Minneapolis. In another case, in 1974, the late Bishop Robert E. Tracy of Baton Rouge, La., was convicted of driving while intoxicated.

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