PORT TOWNSEND — Former Chimacum High School Principal Rex Whipple was found guilty of nine of 10 counts of possessing depictions of a minor in sexually explicit conduct on Friday.
Whipple appeared stoic as corrections officers handcuffed him and escorted him out of the Jefferson County Superior Court following Judge Craddock Verser’s decision.
Whipple, who waived jury trial, awaits sentencing, which is scheduled on Nov. 1, in the Jefferson County jail, where he is being held without bail.
Verser found him that one of the photographs taken surreptitiously of Whipple’s stepdaughter did not have sexual content and so did not convict his on that one count.
The standard sentence for the class C felony charges is up to a year in prison.
On June 7, the law changed, making the same charges class B felonies with a sentence of between 77 and 102 months in jail.
But because Whipple was arrested prior to the change, the charges were treated as class C felonies.
Prosecuting Attorney Juelie Dalzell said she will seek an exceptional sentence that would keep Whipple behind bars for up to 30 months.
Whipple’s attorney is considering an appeal.
“I would not be surprised on the date of sentencing if we were prepared to file a notice of appeal,” Alton McFadden said.
Started a year ago
A year ago from Friday’s decision, Whipple lived with his former wife and then-15-year-old stepdaughter in their Port Ludlow home and worked as a top school administrator.
It was also one year ago when videos of Whipple’s stepdaughter dressing and undressing in her bedroom, recorded without her knowledge, began to be downloaded on Whipple’s Chimacum School District-issued laptop computer.
The downloads continued, at least 57 videos and photographs, through March of this year.
At that time, Whipple was arrested after his daughter-in-law discovered the videos on his computer while he was visiting her in Arizona.
Throughout the trial, the defense did not dispute that the videos were on Whipple’s computer, but argued that someone else put them there without Whipple’s knowledge.
“I don’t believe someone put them there,” Verser said in his decision.
“Mr. Whipple knew those clips were there.”
