18 FEATURE
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.
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
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-
