Put Some Clothes on, Please

It’s 5 in the morning; do you know where your priest is? Hopefully not down at the local high school running naked.

Unless you’ve been living in a hole the last month, you’ve heard about the Rev. Robert Whipkey, the Frederick priest caught doing laps naked at Frederick High School an hour before sunup. Now beyond the obvious jokes, there are serious ramifications for the man who also officiates at parishes in Mead and Erie. Whipkey faces misdemeanor indecent exposure charges, which, if convicted, would mean he would have to register as a sex offender. That is absurd, but it’s how it’s written in Colorado’s law books. The spirit of the law is intended for wackos who expose themselves with sexual intent in public to women, children or anyone else for that matter. As far as anyone can tell, Whipkey is only guilty of poor judgment.

The man says he sweats a lot and running in the buff is more comfortable. He should’ve chosen a better spot to take off his robe than a high school, like a nearby reservoir. But he is by no means a sex offender, nor did he seem to have any intent for anyone to seem him, so he shouldn’t have to live the rest of his life with that tag.