[MN] Ramsey Co. Sheriff's debate & Barbara Winn's murder

St. Paul, Minnesota Last Updated: 9/27/2006 The verbal sparring ramped up again Tuesday in the Ramsey County sheriff's race, as two veteran lawmen battled to set themselves apart in the voters' minds. Step one foot across the Ramsey County line and you'll see them. [Bill] Finney and [Bob] Fletcher lawn signs have sprung up like wild flowers, often sharing space in the same yards... What didn't come up in the debate, but did make the front page of the St Paul Pioneer Press again was Finney's relationship with boyhood friend Aaron Foster and the Maplewood cold case homicide from 1981... Foster was questioned in the 1981 shooting of girlfriend Barbara Winn but never charged... Finney, at the time a sargeant on the Saint Paul force, attended part of Winn's autopsy. He had been friends with both Winn and Foster and said he wanted to know for himself how she died. In August Fletcher asked County Attorney Gaertner to convene a grand jury to review the case. Citing a conflict of interest, namely her support of Finney's campaign, Gaertner bounced the case to Anoka County. The Anoka County Attorney's office is still reviewing the case... "To believe that you'd have to believe that a junior sergeant in the St Paul police department -- one of 120 -- could influence detectives in another city, the chief of police there, the medical examiner and the assistant county attorney," said Finney. "And say 'Do a favor for my buddy, don't charge him with murder.' That's what you'd have to believe in order to think I influenced that... My opponent may wish he was running against Mr. Foster. He's running against Bill Finney. And I'll stand on my record. If there's some new evidence that says Mr. Foster was culpable in this incident, I support the investigation and a prosecution"... The Pioneer Press Tuesday reported on a 1985 case, saying Foster's estranged wife at the time accused him of pointing a gun at her head. The newspaper cited a police report that then-Lieutenant Finney spoke to assistant Ramsey county prosecutor James Konen about the case. Foster was never charged... Foster, now a civilian employee of the police department, has referred all questions to his attorney.... The Pioneer Press quoted several current and former officers as saying Aaron Foster, after being hired by the police department in 1998, relied on his friendship with then-Chief Finney to settle job disputes and fend off disciplinary actions. After the debate Tuesday Finney flatly denied those allegations. "Not at all!" he said, "And in fact, one of the cases talked about in the paper about a woman officer having to sue they both were given the same punishment. Their punishment was an oral reprimand." The woman in question, Sgt Ann Bebeau, sued the City of St Paul, the department and Finney alleging the chief had allowed Foster to harass and interfere with officers. Finney and the department were later dropped as defendants in the case. The Pioneer Press Bebeau received $1,620 in damages and attorneys fees from the City....

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