THE LONG ROAD HOME

Crown Point sheriff’s car returned 87 years later

BY AUBREY BANKS reporter

Hundreds gathered on the Crown Point square as former Crown Point Sheriff Lillian Holley’s car was brought back to Crown Point. Holley’s car was infamously stolen by notorious gangster John Dillinger during his escape from the Lake County jail 87 years ago, and it has just now been returned. The Discovery Channel plans to film footage about Dillinger, as well as the car and its history.

The Discovery Channel will film Holley’s car in a reenactment of a bank robbery in Crown Point. The documentary will also showcase Dillinger’s history and his criminal activity. Dillinger and his escapades have been the source of many documentaries and films, most notably the 2009 film “Public Enemies” starring Johnny Depp as Dillinger. Junior Chloe Friedrich believes that The Discovery Channel has already begun filming their documentary over John Dilinger.

“I knew that they were filming it a couple of days before and I thought it was really cool. I live in town myself so I heard all the helicopters that were flying around and assumed that they were cameras so the show could get a bird’s eye view of the square. I would totally be open to watching the episode about it just to see what was said,” Fridrich said.

In addition to its history, the documentary will also explain how the car was found and what happened to it. Fridrich hopes to learn more about the overall history of the car and to shed light on the events after the car was stolen.

“I’m hoping that the show explains the history of Dillinger and I’d like to learn exactly what happened after the car was missing for so many years,” Fridrich said.

With the documentary being filmed in Crown Point, freshman Dain Ellman believes there is a chance that many tourists from around the world will see the town and would want to visit the old Lake County Jail.

“(John Dillinger) does have a lot of significance in this area because of the old County Jail. I think the show is going to bring more publicity to the city, and it will probably make the city popular because of the history around it,” Ellman said.

The current owner of the car, Mark Love, reveals that the car was in Crown Point because of the Discovery Channel’s documentary.

“The car was actually in Crown Point in the first place because of the documen-

Mark Love drives former Sheriff Lillian Holley’s car through the Crown Point square on April 3. Hundreds gathered to witness the car’s return after being stolen 87 year prior.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHLOE FRIDRICH

tary. The Discovery Channel has already filmed a lot of things in Crown Point and I know that it will release in July. I like that they are making a show about it because I thought it was a great opportunity to get the story out to the general public, and it puts a positive outlook on law enforcement. I will definitely be watching it,” Love said.

After participating in robbing 24 banks and four police stations, Dillinger was arrested several times and was transferred to five different prisons. He was eventually taken to the Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Indiana and was charged with murdering a policeman in East Chicago, Indiana during a bank robbery. He infamously escaped using a wooden gun that he carved during his time in prison. Once escaped, he stole Sheriff Holley’s car, and drove across the Indiana-Illinois line, heading for Chicago. The car was eventually abandoned by Dillinger, and he was killed by the FBI a year after his escape.

Love describes how he first came into possession of the car.

“The car was found somewhere in Maine, and it was in really bad condition. The man who owned the car passed away, and his son wanted to keep and restore it so that it would be put in his name. There’s a long process with registering a car, and the normal person can’t keep track of the car without the police. Without the law enforcement tracking the car down, the car wouldn’t have been found,” Love said.

After finding the car in a bad shape, Love decided to restore the car and continue his father’s collection.

“Well, my dad had a large John Dillinger collection, and he started off with the car, which he had for a long time. At first, the car was in a very bad condition, but I knew someone who could restore it, and he actually had the parts for the car,” Love said. “When I got back from Arizona, I tried to restore it to its former glory. The back seat of the car is the original seat that Dillinger sat in. I was extremely lucky because the rest of the back seat had to be destroyed and couldn’t be used. In New York City, I found the original seat, and there was barely enough material to fill in the seat. The seat, however, still had small holes on it. The car has a lot of its original parts, and it looks exactly as it was those years ago.”

At the event on the Crown Point square, Love drove the car around so that everyone who was there could see it up close. The current sheriff of the jail and Love gave speeches about how they found the car and what they did to restore it.

“Most of the police force seemed to be there. There were helicopters, motorcycles, police vehicles, and all sorts of stuff like that with the car. The car went from the government complex all the way down to the old jail, tracing the route that John Dillinger took on the day he escaped,” Ellman said. “They did it in reverse, coming back to the jail with all the police cars and helicopters and such. They parked the car and let everyone look at it. They had every minor detail restored in the car. Every last detail was perfect and was fitting to what it was described as years back.”

The Discovery Channel was filming during the event, and Love comments how he spent most of his time at the event with The Discovery Channel crew.

“At the event, I was actually working with the Discovery Channel. I was there speaking on the steps of the old jail with the crowd in and around me. Most of the time I was at the event, I was spending it with the Discovery Channel crew,” Love said.

Love reflects on the documentary’s production process that he experienced.

“They had helicopters and a lot of police cars all around the square. On Monday, we did all the scenes for the escape scene with the actors escaping with Dillinger’s car, which my car was actually used in,” Love said. “They later did a bank robbery with actors and actresses inside and outside the car.”

After being gone for so long, Ellman is happy that the car is back where it belongs and is glad that the car isn’t destroyed entirely.

“It was an odd feeling for me. I have no connection with the car personally, but because the car has a history with the city and the community, I felt close to it,” Ellman said. “With the car coming back, and everyone out there seeing it, it felt like the car was coming back home and that it belonged here. I was happy that it was back, even though it had no connection to me. It was a great event, and I’m glad that the car is back. I’m also glad that the history of John Dillinger can be maintained because the car could have been destroyed and lost to history.”

As a final tribute to his father’s collection, Love plans to leave the car in Crown Point.

“My original plan was to put the car in the courthouse in Crown Point. That’s what I’m working on with a foundation that will help me achieve that goal. If that plan doesn’t work out, it’s eventually going to find its way to a large museum,” Love said. “Ever since my father had the car, he only wanted it to be put in a museum. Crown Point has such a negative outlook because of John Dillinger. The car was originally a police car, and I want to devote it to law enforcement. My overall goal is to sell all the things from my John Dillinger collection to the police.”

‘‘I’m hoping that the show explains the history of Dillinger and I’d like to learn exactly what happened after the car was missing for so many years.

junior Chloe Fridrich

WHO WAS JOHN DILLINGER?

Dillinger underwent FACIAL RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

Dillinger escaped from the Lake County jail using a wooden gun

Dillinger’s body was viewed by THOUSANDS

The federal government spent more money trying to catch him