PORT TOWNSEND — Chimacum High School Principal Rex E. Whipple, accused of surreptitiously shooting at least 100 videos of a nude and partially clothed 15-year-old girl at his home, was formally charged Tuesday in Jefferson County Superior Court with voyeurism.
Whipple, who appeared on courtroom monitors via a video camera at the county jail in Port Hadlock, said “Yes, sir” after Superior Court Judge Craddock Verser read him his rights and asked him if he understood the charge.
Verser said the Class C felony carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and/or $10,000 fine.
Voyeurism is defined in the charge as photographing or filming a person without her knowledge or consent, while she was in a place where she would have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Such videos and photos, county Prosecuting Attorney Juelie Dalzell alleges, were made “for the purpose of arousing and gratifying the sexual desire.”
Whipple’s wife turned her husband into authorities after finding out about the videos, investigators said.
His wife learned about the videos from her daughter-in-law while Whipple was visiting Arizona, a report states.
The daughter-in-law found the videos on his school district laptop computer, the investigator’s report states.
Whipple told Verser that he lost the laptop computer on his return trip from Arizona.
Verser, raising concerns that Whipple might be a flight risk, ordered bail set at $25,000 after Dalzell argued for $100,000 bail.
Dalzell said her request was based on the fact that when Whipple was arrested on Monday, he was carrying almost $4,000 and had allegedly discussed leaving Wednesday for Hawaii.
The 45-year-old Whipple, who was represented by Bainbridge Island defense attorney Alton McFadden, said that he did not have a passport.
Dalzell asked that Whipple surrender all of his credit cards to his attorney, but Verser said: “I don’t have a problem with him having any credit cards. That may be how he survives.”
Whipple showed little emotion during his initial court appearance and frequently looked down. He also was ordered to have only supervised contact with minors.
McFadden asked for less restrictive rules of contact with minors since Whipple had spent at least four years in the state without a criminal history. His attorney said Whipple’s wife was his only family in Washington.
Verser scheduled Whipple’s arraignment for 8:30 a.m. March 24 in Superior Court.
Whipple was still being held in county jail Tuesday night, a deputy confirmed.