Man charged in scuffle at lesbian bar is police chief's son

The man accused of starting a brawl at Lucy's Saloon, a lesbian bar in St, Paul. Minn., on Sunday has turned out to be the police chief's son. Patrons watched in amazement around 1 a.m. Sunday when police sergeant Jon Loretz began barking orders at police officers who arrived to quell the fight, the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. Loretz is the son of police chief William Finney. On Monday the department referred an investigation into the fight to the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to avoid a conflict of interest, Finney said. He pledged his department's full cooperation with the agency's probe. According to the Pioneer-Press, the 34-year-old Loretz was at the predominantly lesbian tavern with a female companion. He reportedly had had a few drinks when the fight broke out at the bar. Manager LaTonya Noble said Loretz screamed slurs against gay men and lesbians and was involved in several scuffles. One woman was hit over the head with a beer bottle before Loretz left through a back entrance. At least two women were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Noble called for police help when the fights broke out. Noble said Loretz directed a number of slurs at her. "I felt I was bashed," she said. "They let him walk away. I knew it was somebody important because they started taking orders from him." Police said Loretz wasn't questioned until several hours later and was not given a sobriety test.