BishopAccountability.org
	Jury Selection under Way in Trial of Frederick's 'Naked Priest' Daily Camera June 11, 2008 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/jun/11/jury-selection-begins-trial-naked-priest/ A priest accused of indecent exposure for running naked very early in the morning is now on trial. The Rev. Robert Whipkey, 53, is on trial in Weld County District Court. He was arrested last June in Frederick after an officer said he was seen walking naked on a street at 4:35 a.m. Whipkey served as pastor at St. Scholastica church in Erie, in addition to two other churches in Weld County. Even though he is a Roman Catholic priest, the judge has approved a defense motion to exclude any references to Whipkey's profession during the trial because it has no bearing on the charge. But the judge did allow previous incidents, including allegations that Whipkey has been seen walking around his home nude and swimming nude, to be admitted at the trial. When he was arrested, Whipkey said he sweats profusely if he wears clothing while jogging, according to the arrest report. Police said he told them he had been running naked at the track at Frederick High School and didn't think anyone would be around that time of day. Whipkey also allegedly appeared nude at a summer camp for Catholic boys in 1999. A parishioner at St. Anthony's Parish in Sterling told the Rocky Mountain News that Whipkey was naked in front of several boys but that no charges were ever filed. The parishioner said several families left the church as a result of the incident. "He was shaving with his clothes off and some of the boys saw him," said Larry Graham, former police chief for Sterling, Colo. Graham said his investigation revealed there had been no sexual contact between the priest and boys and that no laws had been broken. If convicted of indecent exposure, a misdemeanor, prosecutors have said Whipkey would have to register as a sex offender. He has pleaded not guilty. The Denver Archdiocese has placed Whipkey on administrative leave.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.