Priest found guilty of indecent exposure

It took a jury less than three hours to find a priest guilty of indecent exposure for jogging naked.

The Rev. Robert Whipkey and his defense attorney, Harvey Steinberg, did not comment following the verdict.

Around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, jurors reached a verdict in Whipkey's trial.

Whipkey, 53, told a Frederick police officer he was jogging nude at a high school track around 4:30 a.m. June 22, 2007, because he sweats profusely.

Whipkey faces a sentence of probation to 18 months in jail, a fine of $500-$5,000 and may have to register as a sex offender. He is scheduled to be sentenced in August.

Steinberg argued Whipkey -- a Roman Catholic priest -- did not intend to show his genitals to the public.

"Don't like him; don't like what he did ... But follow the law," said Steinberg, who added Whipkey was not on trial for being weird or odd.

Prosecutors agreed Whipkey was not on trial for being weird or odd but was on trial because he broke the law. They stated that by running on the track and walking on a main street in town, Whipkey knew someone would see him.

"This boils down to what's right and wrong," said prosecutor Kent Leier. "The defendant knew his actions were wrong."

Prosecutor Stephen Wren suggested Whipkey's sweating excuse was to cover his true feelings that there is nothing wrong with nudity.

"Is it really too hot that he can't put on a pair of shorts?" Wren questioned jurors. "We're taking about Colorado in June."

Frederick police officer Zacheria Hahn testified that he was shocked when he saw Whipkey walking down the street completely naked.

<strong>SENTENCING</strong> The Rev. Robert Whipkey, who was convicted Thursday of indecent exposure, will be sentenced at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 11 in Weld County Court.

Hahn was off duty when he spotted the nude man he identified as Whipkey walking along 5th Street, one of the main streets in Frederick.

"I was honestly shocked. At first, I didn't know what to think," Hahn said. "I couldn't believe this man was walking down the street naked."

Hahn testified he shined his flashlight on Whipkey at which point Whipkey covered his genitals with something that resembled clothes he was holding and walked faster.

When Hahn contacted Whipkey, he admitted to Hahn he had been jogging at the high school's track naked. Hahn said he has seen a lot of things in his profession but never a naked man walking down a street in Frederick.

Whipkey's profession was not mentioned during the trial because Weld County Court Judge Timothy Kerns previously ruled that it had no bearing on the charges.