Sgt. Finch was the first police officer in Traverse City history to be killed in the line of duty. He married his wife Agnes M. on September 4, 1965 at Holy Rosary Church at Isadore, and after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, including time in the Vietnam War, he joined the Traverse City Police Force in 1968. On May 12, 1998, Traverse City Police were called to a house in Traverse City's Boardman neighborhood after a man stood on his porch waving a gun. The man, John Clark, went back into his house, and Sgt. Finch spent time trying to talk Clark into coming out. After awhile, police rushed the house and Clark shot Sgt. Finch, who died the next day. The house was found to contain an arsenal of weapons. The following December, Clark was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. After Finch's death, the county law enforcement center was named in his honor.
Sgt. Finch was the first police officer in Traverse City history to be killed in the line of duty. He married his wife Agnes M. on September 4, 1965 at Holy Rosary Church at Isadore, and after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, including time in the Vietnam War, he joined the Traverse City Police Force in 1968. On May 12, 1998, Traverse City Police were called to a house in Traverse City's Boardman neighborhood after a man stood on his porch waving a gun. The man, John Clark, went back into his house, and Sgt. Finch spent time trying to talk Clark into coming out. After awhile, police rushed the house and Clark shot Sgt. Finch, who died the next day. The house was found to contain an arsenal of weapons. The following December, Clark was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. After Finch's death, the county law enforcement center was named in his honor.
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