Meeting the Enemy
Sheriff Lillian Holley Vs John Dillinger
Gangster John Dillinger was captured in Arizona and extradicted to Indiana. He arrived at the airport in Indiana on January 30, 1934. [17] He was then taken from the airport to Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Indiana which was under Sheriff Lillian Holley's custody.
The Escape
After Dillinger's arrival to the Lake County Jail in January of 1934, many residents of Crown Point, Indiana were starstruck by the gangster's stay. The media flooded to Crown Point and many authorities including Prosecutor Robert Estill and Sheriff Lillian Holley posed with Dillinger.
Authorities boasted that the jail was “escape proof.” Even Holley stated there would be "no monkeyshines" and that Dillinger would be watched "every minute of the day and night." But on March 3, 1934, Dillinger proved these statements to be untrue. [19]
A little over a month after his arrival to the jail, Dillinger escaped from the Lake County Jail on March 3, 1934. It is claimed he used a wooden gun he had whittled and covered in shoe polish to lead the escape. He pointed this "gun" at the guards and forced them to open the door to his cell. He then proceeded to grab two machine guns and lock up the guards and several trustees before he fled the jail in Sheriff Holley's car. [4] When Dillinger fled in Sheriff Holley's Ford across the Indiana-Illinois state line, he violated the little known National Motor Vehicle Theft Act. [3] This was Dillinger's first federal offense which later unleashed a storm of officers looking for his arrest.
The "Escape Proof" Jail
The Lake County Jail was built in 1882. It is a two-story, second empire-style brick building. The building remained in use as a residence until 1958 and as a jail until 1974.
The jail was abandoned after being decommissioned. It was known to be hazardous due to the nature of the building and jail cells being not structurally sound. It was deemed by city officials to be demolished.
However, that was not the case. City officials filed for the jail to be added to the Historic District. Their wish was granted as the jail was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 4, 1989, joining the Crown Point Courthouse Square Historic District.
The jail was renovated and became a movie set in 2008 for the movie, Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp. After the production, the jail began hosting rentals and public tours.
The Jail today is now owned by the Old Sheriff's House Foundation and is used for community events such as the yearly haunted house, ghost hunting, movie nights, and more.