Saturday, August 11, 2007

Naked jogger priest risks defrocking

Police have charged a Colorado Catholic priest with indecent exposure after he went for a nude early morning jog because he sweats profusely, he says.

There are reports that leadership councils at three Colorado Catholic parishes have met to decide the fate of a priest charged with jogging in the nude.

The Reverend Robert Whipkey, 53, faces an indecent exposure charge after an off-duty police officer allegedly saw him jogging in the nude about an hour before sunrise in June.

He told officers he had been running naked at a high school track and did not think anyone would be around at that time of day, a police report said.

He said he sweats profusely if he wears clothing while jogging. "I know what I did was wrong," he said in the report.

The Archdiocese of Denver said it takes the incident seriously but is awaiting the outcome of the case. Whipkey remains an active priest.

If convicted of indecent exposure, a misdemeanour, he would have to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said.

Whipkey, 53, was arrested 22nd. June in a town about 20 miles north of Denver. An officer said he saw a naked man walking down the street at 4:35 a.m.

The U.S. Naval Observatory Web site said sunrise that day in Frederick was 5:31 a.m.

The officer said when he shined his flashlight at the man, he covered himself with a piece of clothing he was carrying.

The Archdiocese of Denver said it takes the incident seriously but is awaiting the outcome of the case. Whipkey, who also officiates at parishes in the nearby towns of Mead and Erie, remains an active priest.

It was not clear why the June incident was not reported by the newspaper until this week.

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