A Juneau man arrested for breaking into the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center will serve just less than three years in prison for a federal firearms charge that is unrelated, but happened at about the same time as the burglary.
Mack Arthur Parker, 52, was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court to 34 months in prison on a charge being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He was arrested after he picked up a 9 mm pistol that he said he just found.
Parker also will spend three years on supervised release.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Timothy Burgess said he’ll recommend Parker be sent to a California federal prison or another with medical facilities.
Parker said he has several medical conditions that need immediate treatment.
Police officers found Parker passed out June 25 behind the wheel of his still-running vehicle. Officers said he immediately reached for a pistol under his leg. Police later determined the firearm was stolen from the Anchorage area.
A week later, Parker was arrested again for the July 2 burglary and ransacking of the visitor center.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt said those incidents were the result of a drug relapse and he called Parker “a menace to society.”
Public Defender Jamie McGrady acknowledged that Parker struggles with substance issues, but she argued that last year’s incidents would not have happened if he was still under supervision.
Parker had just gotten off supervision after an earlier parole on 2001 robbery charge.
For his part, Parker apologized for the situation and called it a bad decision. He said he just picked up the gun to see if it was real and then panicked. He said he intended to do the right thing.
His wife, Teresa Parker, pleaded for leniency. She said Mack has always been honest with her about what he’s done, and they’ve never had alcohol or firearms in the house.
Sentencing in the state case for the visitor center burglary is scheduled for April 17.
