Stormy Days Ahead for Former Palm Beach Gay Weatherman Arrested on Child Sex Charges

A $130,000 bail has been set for Robert Lopicola, the former openly gay weatherman at WPTV-Channel 5 in West Palm Beach and current manager at Boardwalk, a gay strip club in Fort Lauderdale. He had been arrested Monday by U.S. Marshals for allegedly having sex with two underage teens, and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail.

His Tuesday, July 10, court appearance was initially postponed to give him time to retain a lawyer. However, Lopicola was not able to retain private counsel, and instead the court appointed a public defender for his preliminary appearance. The magistrate set the bond at the above-mentioned amount the next morning.

The charges: One count of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors, one count of lewd and lascivious battery, one count of computer pornography and child exploitation.

"He was our show and dance manager and a good employee. I can't speak about his private life. I hope he's vindicated," said Victor Zepka, owner of Boardwalk.
One case involves a then-15-year-old now living in Michigan, the other one a then-17-year-old teen from West Palm Beach. Both incidents date back to 2010. Both met Lopicola through Craigslist's personals section.

Florida Statute 794.05(1) indicates that "a person 24 years of age or older who engages in sexual activity with a person 16 or 17 years of age commits a felony of the second degree." As used in this section, "sexual activity" means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another.

Lopicola abruptly left the television station under mysterious circumstances in 2006. He told SFGN two weeks ago that nude photos had surfaced and he was forced to resign. However, some rumors say the station was concerned with his interest in young men and that was the reason of his sudden departure. SFGN is waiting for a comment from WPTV. At the time Lopicola said he was leaving the station to "pursue other opportunities."

Since then his life has appeared to take a downward spiral. He lost his home to foreclosure and then in 2009, according to Gossip Extra's Jose Lambiet he "was busted by his former colleagues at the NBC affiliate as one of the principals in a marketing company against which consumer complain[t]s are a dime a dozen. According to Cake's report, the company promises to connect folks trying to unload a timeshare with folks who want to buy a timeshare. For a fee, of course: $1,900. The number of unhappy customers, however, seems high as the Better Business Bureau has given Premier an F-rating."

Within the last year, Lopicola started working at Boardwalk and he recently approached SFGN about writing a health and fitness column. Lopicola also runs the website BodyByRJ.com where he markets himself as a personal trainer.

"I'd like to do a weekly article 'overcoming adversity and retuning to mental and physical wellness,'" he said. "It would make me so happy to give back a little. I love to write and fitness is my second passion." He later stated that weather is still his first passion.

Lopicola isn't the first openly gay weatherman in South Florida to be arrested for this behavior either. Before Lopicola there was Bill Kamal who was the star of Miami's WSVN-Channel 7. He was arrested in 2004 for attempting to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old boy. Instead it was a sting operation. Kamal served five years in prison and is on probation for the rest of his life.

Sergio Candido contributed to this report.