Man escapes Fairbanks facility; troopers seek public help

Alaska State Troopers asked the public Tuesday evening for help locating 36-year-old Todd Presler, who left the Northstar Center in Fairbanks Tuesday afternoon without authorization.

Troopers described Presler as 5 feet 10 inches tall and 142 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing an orange shirt and dark pants. Troopers asked the public not to approach him and to call the Fairbanks post at 907-451-5100 with any information.

Northstar Center is a community residential center — a halfway house — at Mile 353.5 of the Parks Highway just outside Fairbanks, operated by The GEO Group under contract with the Alaska Department of Corrections. The 143-bed facility houses people in the final stage of their sentence as they transition from prison back into the community. It is a non-secure facility, with no bars or locked doors; residents are expected to remain in the program voluntarily as they complete substance abuse counseling, life skills training, and employment assistance.

Walkaways from Alaska's community residential centers are not uncommon, given the non-secure design of those facilities. Leaving without authorization is still a crime — escape from custody — and the Tuesday alert is the Department of Public Safety's standard response when a resident leaves a program.