LAWMAKER'S DAUGHTER AVOIDED CHARGES IN 1999 BY HELPING AUTHORITIES

Elk River, Minn. (AP) -- The daughter of a state lawmaker gave authorities
information in another drug case to avoid charges after a search of her
mother' s rental property last year revealed evidence of methamphetamine,
the Sherburne County attorney said.

Sherburne County authorities found evidence of meth manufacturing in April
1999 in an art studio owned by Rep. Leslie Schumacher, DFL-Princeton, where
her daughter lived.

After a second search on June 21 turned up new evidence of meth
manufacturing in the studio in Santiago, charges were filed against the
legislator' s daughter and two men.

Rep. Schumacher is not a suspect in either case.

Her daughter, Jeana Schumacher, 18; Jeana' s boyfriend, Patrick J. McKay,
19, and their friend, Dwight P. Steele, 20, were charged on Monday with
conspiracy to manufacture meth at the studio.

Jeana Schumacher and McKay also are charged with endangering their
8-month-old son by living with him in the studio. Only Steele remains in
custody at the county jail.

Cooperation by Jeana Schumacher is one reason she wasn' t charged in the
1999 case. Prosecutors also were concerned that some evidence of meth
manufacturing against Jeana Schumacher and her boyfriend might not hold up
in court at that time, said County Attorney Walter Kaminsky.

Kaminsky explained his office' s handling of the 1999 investigation in
response to questions raised Wednesday by Sherburne County Sheriff Bruce
Anderson about why no charges were filed last year.

Last year, Jeana Schumacher and McKay helped authorities obtain convictions
in a burglary case and another meth case involving four other people,
Kaminsky said. At the time, Jeana Schumacher and McKay admitted that meth
was made in the Santiago studio in early 1999, he added.

Now, those statements may be used to bolster the current drug conspiracy
case against them, Kaminsky said.

Kaminsky also said he is condsidering shifting the drug case against Jeana
Schumacher to a prosecutor from another county because of the possibility
or appearance of a conflict of interest.

Rep. Schumacher has denied any knowledge that drug manufacturing took place
in her studio last year.

On April 1, 1999, Rep. Schumacher also allowed authorities to search her
daughter' s bedroom in the legislator' s home. A sheriff' s report says
that a large quantity of drug paraphernalia and alcohol was found in Jeana
Schumacher' s room and that, with her mother present, she admitted that
drug manufacturing took place in the studio. Jeana Schumacher was 17 and
pregnant at the time.

Although Jeana Schumacher faced no charges in the 1999 investigation,
authorities prosecuted McKay for receiving stolen property after they found
a stolen rifle in his car on the same day as the first studio search.

McKay admitted he bought the stolen gun from a burglar. He and Jeana also
pointed fingers at other people involved in manufacturing methamphetamine,
Kaminsky said.

Minnesota House leaders said there were no plans for an ethics
investigation of Rep. Schumacher over the drug cases. House rules prohibit
the Ethics Committee from acting outside of a legislative session.