Bishop McManus Loses License for 6 Months
Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER — Bishop Robert J. McManus has lost his license for six months after admitting to refusing a chemical test after his arrest this month on drunken driving charges.
The head of the Diocese of Worcester appeared Tuesday at the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal in Wakefield, R.I. Court administrator Thomas Laliberte said Bishop McManus pleaded guilty in front of Magistrate William T. Noonan.
Diocese spokesman Raymond Delisle confirmed the events in the traffic tribunal.
Bishop McManus paid approximately $900 in fines and court costs. He must complete 10 hours of community service and participate in alcohol education programs, Mr. Laliberte said. A lane roadway violation charge was dismissed per the Narragansett Police Department.
Bishop McManus’ lawyer, Williams J. Murphy, said the drunken driving charge will be dismissed by Narragansett police as part of the agreement when his client admitted to refusing the chemical breath test.
Mr. Murphy reiterated that the bishop was saddened by what happened and that he has apologized to the people of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The bishop was deeply embarrassed and asks forgiveness for his error in judgment, said Mr. Murphy, a former speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
The loss of license in Rhode Island will apply in Massachusetts, said Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles spokesman Michael Verseckes. The information about the loss of license will either be sent to Massachusetts by Rhode Island or placed into the National Driver Register. Once that occurs, the loss of license will apply to Bishop McManus’ Massachusetts license.
Bishop McManus pleaded not guilty last week to driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. His next court date is May 28.
The 61-year-old bishop was arrested May 4 in Narragansett, R.I. Authorities said he was in a hit-and-run accident with a 2008 Hyundai on Boston Neck Road at Bridgetown Road, about two miles from his vacation home.
The driver of the car Bishop McManus allegedly hit called police to report an erratic driver and followed the bishop to his home at 215 Col. John Gardner Road, where police arrested him.
Authorities allege the bishop failed sobriety tests, had slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet. He allegedly had bloodshot eyes and initially told police he had a glass of wine with dinner in Providence, but later said he had two drinks — a Manhattan and a glass of wine with a dinner of pasta and steak around 7 p.m.
After his arrest, the bishop released a statement that read: “On Saturday evening, May 4, I made a terrible error in judgment by driving after having consumed alcohol with dinner. There is no excuse for the mistake I made, only a commitment to make amends and accept the consequences of my action.”
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.