I don't think it's the clothes that makes him 'sweat profusely'.

Priest's nude jog prompts meeting

Parishioners say they were shocked to hear of his early-morning foray in Frederick but he shouldn't face sex-offender status.

'Frederick - The leadership councils at three northern Colorado Roman Catholic parishes met Wednesday night with a vicar from the Archdiocese of Denver to discuss what to do about a priest accused of going for a naked jog.

Frederick police busted the Rev. Robert Whipkey in June after an off-duty officer spotted him walking down the street naked at 4:30 in the morning. Whipkey told police he had been jogging at the Frederick High School track.

"I'm a heavy man, and wearing clothing while running makes me sweat profusely," Whipkey said, according to a police report. "I know what I did was wrong."

Whipkey was charged with a misdemeanor count of indecent exposure and could, if convicted, have to register as a sex offender. His attorney, Doug Tisdale, declined to comment.

"We take this matter seriously and have been addressing the situation," the Archdiocese of Denver said in a statement Wednesday. "Based on the information that the archdiocese has, it does not appear that Father Whipkey's actions involved any other individual - adult or child."

Archdiocese spokeswoman Jeanette De Melo said the archdiocese learned of the charges June 29, one week after police issued Whipkey his summons. But De Melo said parishioners were not notified of the matter.

The meeting Wednesday night between the archdiocese's vicar of clergy and the parish councils of St. Theresa church in Frederick, Guardian Angels church in Mead and St. Scholastica church in Erie - the three parishes Whipkey serves - was the first discussion the archdiocese had with parishioners about Whipkey's charges.

Several Frederick residents said Wednesday that they were unaware of Whipkey's charges, while others said they found out Wednesday morning after reading a local newspaper.

"I was thinking, 'Man, my wife is getting up at about that time,"' said resident Jody Lucas. "It's a little weird, especially for a Catholic priest."

Lucas' wife, Yolanda, said she often attends church at St. Theresa and said Whipkey seems like a nice person.

"I was kind of shocked," she said.

But, she said priests are human. She plans to keep going to the church.

"I don't go because of the father," she said. "I go because of my religion. I'm not going to change my religion because the father made a mistake."

Jerry Wright, who lives near the track, said based on Whipkey's statements, he doesn't think the priest should have to register as a sex offender if convicted.

"But I don't even know why he would think about doing something like that," Wright said.'