Former Petersburg cop banned from being certified after sexual harassment allegations

PETERSBURG­-A former Petersburg police officer was banned from working in the state of Alaska after sexual harassment allegations against him were presented to a state ethics council in early December.

Kent Preston, who was with the Petersburg Police Department for nearly a year in 2015 and 2016, can no longer become certified as an officer in Alaska. The Alaska Police Standards Council made the decision after it heard Executive Director Bob Griffiths' case against Preston on December 5.

"It's kind of the national discussion right now," Griffiths said. "Did the person violate the law? Maybe not. Did the person violate their professional ethics? Hell yes."

Griffiths led an investigation into Preston and later presented his allegations to the standards council in a closed session. In a public session afterward, the council voted unanimously to sustain Griffith's recommendation to disqualify Preston.

The allegations were not made public in the meeting, as details of Griffiths' case against Preston were made in executive session.

Months before the private session, Griffiths spoke about his allegations against Preston in September, when his investigation was nearing an end. By then, Griffiths had allegations that reached further than Petersburg.

According to Griffiths, Preston had been fired from a department in Washington for sexual harassment. He then found a job in Petersburg, which he secured by allegedly falsifying a job application. Preston then sexually harassed a possible informant during his time on Mitkof Island, Griffiths said.

Preston resigned in August 2016 due to a family medical issue, according to a borough manager report by Stephen Giesbrecht, and then moved to southern Washington near Longview. He is there currently running for public office and did not respond to multiple voicemails and phone calls requesting comment.

Kelly Swihart, the police chief in Petersburg, had said in September that the department didn't know about Preston's alleged history of sexual harassment, and he had passed all the necessary psychological evaluations. Kelly, a council member, recused himself at the meeting because of the case having to do with his agency, which is standard procedure, Griffiths said.

The standards council focuses on investigating unethical behavior, which Griffiths says was the case with Preston. He abused his authority as a police officer to solicit sexual favors, thinking he could get away with it because of his status, Griffiths said.

"The minute he appeals it and I start filing papers with the Office of Administrative Hearings, then that's where your gold line is going to be," Griffiths said. "Because that's when those files are made public."

If Mr. Preston decides to appeal the council's ruling, a formal public process will ensue at the Office of Administrative Hearings. The allegations made by Griffiths would then be made public.

"If I were him, I would never want that public," Griffiths said. "But he is a different individual, and he certainly has the right to disagree with everything and fight it, but it hasn't helped him in the past."