Partying priest faces DUI, weapons charges

Talk about your Holy Trinity. An Alaskan priest was charged with driving under the influence and misdemeanor weapons and drug charges Monday after being stopped for speeding and weaving on a highway near Fairbanks.

According to the criminal complaint filed last Tuesday, the Rev. Sean P. Thomson, 52, was weaving in his 2002 GMC Sierra pickup truck and was driving 79 mph in a 65 mph zone, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

Trooper Christopher Bitz said the priest seemed disoriented when pulled over. When Bitz asked for Thomson’s vehicle registration, Thomson produced a receipt in place of his registration.

Thompson registered a breath-alcohol content of 0.247 — three times the legal limit of 0.08.

When asked if he had weapons, the Catholic priest told the trooper that he had a .357 Magnum in his back seat, neglecting to mention the 9 mm pistol in his back pocket. He also neglected to mention a small bag containing marijuana in his sweatshirt pocket.

He pleaded not guilty in an initial court hearing and was released on $5,000 bail. Legal coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks said Thomson has been placed on administrative leave.