FAIRBANKS — A retired Alaska State Trooper from Fairbanks with a history of alcohol-related arrests was fired from his job as a security guard at the Fairbanks federal courthouse last month for allegedly drinking at a bar before his shift.

Charges of fourth-degree weapons misconduct were filed against John Thomas Preshaw, Jr., 63, this week in Fairbanks District Court.

Preshaw, a 20-year law enforcement officer who spent 16 years with troopers before retiring as a sergeant in Fairbanks in 1990, was relieved of his duties as a security guard for Inter-Con Security Systems on Dec. 28.

It was Preshaw’s third alcohol-related offense in less than four years. Preshaw was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in August 2008, according to court records. He also was arrested on a charge of drunken driving a year earlier but struck a plea deal to get that charge reduced to reckless driving.

On Dec. 28, Fairbanks police received a tip from an anonymous caller that Preshaw was seen entering the Moose Lodge, which is less than 100 yards from the courthouse, 40 minutes before his shift, according to charging documents filed in District Court earlier this week.

Fairbanks police Sgt. Bruce Burnett and officer Chris DeLeon went to the courthouse to investigate and found Preshaw sitting in a chair in the screening area on the first floor. Preshaw was wearing his duty weapon, a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol.

When questioned by officers, Preshaw denied drinking before his shift.

The officers reportedly smelled alcohol on his breath and Preshaw’s speech was slurred. He had bloodshot, watery eyes and swayed when he stood, the officers stated in the complaint.

Preshaw refused to consent to a portable breath test and claimed he had diabetes, according to the officers. He said he had gone to the Moose Lodge to check a football board.

When the officers asked Preshaw to call his supervisor, he was initially unable to locate a cordless phone that was lying on the counter in plain sight, Burnett wrote. Preshaw had difficulty dialing the number and eventually handed the phone to Burnett so he could dial.

While waiting for his supervisor, the officers ordered Preshaw to remove his gun belt because it is illegal to possess a firearm while intoxicated. Officers spoke with him to determine if he had any medical conditions that would cause his behavior. Preshaw told them of his career with troopers and his dislike for a particular Fairbanks police officer who had previously arrested him on a drunken-driving charge, according to the complaint.

“During contact with Preshaw he did not appear at any time to be disoriented, which is common for a person with a diabetic issue,” Burnett wrote in the complaint.

When Preshaw’s supervisor, Dennis Nilsen, showed up, Preshaw again denied drinking and refused to take a portable breath test, at which point Nilsen told him to go home. Preshaw changed out of uniform and left the courthouse.

Fairbanks police forwarded charges of fourth-degree misconduct involving weapons against Preshaw to the district attorney’s office. The state filed charges this week.

Possession of a firearm while intoxicated is a Class A misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said Preshaw worked for troopers from July 1974 to March 1990, retiring as a sergeant in Fairbanks. Prior to his time with troopers, Preshaw worked as an officer for the Ketchikan Police Department from March 1970 to July 1974.

Preshaw, whose telephone number is not listed, could not be reached for comment.

Calls and e-mails to Inter-Con Security Systems in Anchorage and Pasadena, Calif., where the company is based, were not answered.

According to court records, Preshaw pleaded guilty to a drunken-driving charge in 2008 after being arrested by Fairbanks police for nearly running over a woman in the parking lot of Food Factory on College Road. The woman’s husband told police he confronted Preshaw, who staggered out of the vehicle and told the man he was armed before staggering into the restaurant. The man called police and accompanied them into the restaurant to identify Preshaw, who police determined was intoxicated based on his bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and odor of alcohol. Preshaw failed field sobriety tests and had a breath-alcohol content of 0.165 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.

A year earlier, Preshaw was arrested on a charges of drunken driving and refusing to submit to a chemical breath test after getting into an altercation with another man in the parking lot of Fred Meyer. The man smelled alcohol on Preshaw and suspected he was drunk after watching him exit the parking lot erratically. The man got Preshaw’s license plate and called Fairbanks police.

Fairbanks police went to Preshaw’s home on Slater Drive as he was unloading groceries from his vehicle. Officers detected a moderate odor of alcohol on Preshaw and he had bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and required support when standing, according to court records.

His daughter-in-law told police Preshaw had been drinking and had just returned from the store. Preshaw, meanwhile, admitted being at the store and getting into an altercation with a man but denied drinking. He refused to perform field sobriety tests and refused a chemical breath test.

The district attorney’s office struck a plea deal with Preshaw that resulted in a charge of reckless driving.

Preshaw served as a defense witness in the June 2009 trial of a 21-year-old Fairbanks woman who ran over a 4-year-old boy who was driving a Big Wheel on Slater Drive.

Jessica Paul ran over the boy as he was riding his toy three-wheeler down the road on Aug. 21, 2008. Paul was originally charged with manslaughter, first-degree assault and drunken driving. Paul, who had a history of underage drinking convictions, had a breath-alcohol content of 0.105 percent at the time of the accident but she claimed the sun blinded her when she came around a corner and she didn’t see Lara.

Preshaw, a father of five whose family lived across the street from the boy and his family, testified that the boy had a history of driving his Big Wheel on the road and that the sun casts a bright light on Slater Drive that forced him to regularly flip down his visor or shade his eyes with his hand. Preshaw’s trooper career and job as a security guard were cited during his testimony.

A jury convicted Jessica Paul, now 23 and serving a three-year sentence at Fairbanks Correctional Center, on lesser charges of negligent homicide and misdemeanor charges of drunken driving and minor operating after consuming alcohol.

Contact staff writer Tim Mowry at 459-7587.