The Times from Munster, Indiana • 101

THE REGION Sail away The Hammond Parks and Recreation Department joins with the Hammond Marina to offer a free community program for children ages 8 to 12. B3 WEDNESDAY July 2, 2003 SECTION -f- Story tip or comment? Call Times East Lake Editor Sharon Ross, (219) 662-5335; or e-mail, srossnwitimes.com aoii3(gft sfe hmi JK8B7 Wife testifies on behalf of Merrillville man accused of robbing 3 local banks ly ones besides the court staff and media who attended Fre-vert's detention hearing. Rodovich must decide whether Frevert, who has no job or a previous criminal record, is trustworthy enough to be released on bond while awaiting trial on charges carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The decision comes at a threats, wearing a ski mask or even the salt-and-pepper beard he sported last month during his arrest outside the Schererville bank he is accused of attempting to rob. He also is accused of robbing three local banks in a six-month period.

In court, he managed a couple of smiles for his wife, Teresa, and a male relative, the on time when Northwest Indi ana's banking community has been under siege the past year, and a half, enduring 38 rob--beries, including one in which two tellers were fatally shot. Federal judges frequently" detain defendants accused of street crimes. However, court-appointed defense lawyer R. See BOND, B6 BY BILL DOLAN Times Staff Writer HAMMOND He didn't look any more dangerous than anyone else in U.S. District Court Magistrate's Andrew Rodovich's courtroom Tuesday afternoon, except for the navy blue Lake County Jail coveralls.

Jeffrey A. Frevert, 51, of Merrillville, wasn't making Jeffrey revert Judge Rodovich must decide whether Frevert can be released on bond while awaiting trial. "It was a very rewarding experience. gave me time to reflect on what I'm doing and to come up With ideas to possibly make Changes when I came back." Merrillville Police Detective Cmdr. Tim Wardrip Three teens in M'ville crash Traffic rerouted off Randolph Street after 16-year-old hits tree.

A- BY DEBORAH LAVERTY Times Staff Writer YELLOW BRICK ROAD FBINA 213 SW BRIEF A quick look at the news MERRILLVILLE Cigarettes reportedly taken from truck A driver for Eby-Brown Co. of Plainfield reported someone stole 31 cartons of cigarettes from his truck after he parked it in front of Speedway, 1 W. 81st Ave. The incident was reported to police at 9 a.m. on Monday.

WINF1ELD Church hosts adventure for all ages Holy Spirit Catholic Church sponsors a Super Cool Undersea Bible Adventure, or SCUBA for short, experience July 14 through 18. It's grouped according to age. Those 4 to 10 are the designated students; 11 to 17 are team leaders and special sessions for adults are in the planning stages. Child care will be provided for those under 4. Advance registration is required.

Registration forms are available at the church or parish office. For more information, call the church office at (219) 661-0644. MERRILLVILLE Andrean golf outing scheduled for July 25 The Andrean High School Development Office is taking reservations for the seventh annual Andrean 59er Golf Classic on July 25 at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point. The scramble format outing includes lunch, a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start and a filet dinner following golf.

A social hour and auction will follow golf. Reservations are $150 each and are limited to the first 144 golfers. Hole sponsorships and underwriting opportunities are available by contacting Frank Podkul at (219) 887-5281, ext. 240. CROWN POINT Sunday is Crown Point Day at RailCats game The Greater Crown Point Chamber of Commerce and the city of Crown Point are sponsoring a Crown Point Day for a RailCats game at 1 p.m.

Sunday. There is a special section reserved for Crown Point and chamber officials said the seats are good. Tickets are $7 a person and available at the chamber office or the Crown Point Parks Department. For more information, call the chamber at (219) 663-1800 or the parks department at (219) 661-2271. CROWN POINT Crown Point prepares for Sidewalk Sale days The Retail Division of the Greater Crown Point Chamber of Commerce is planning the annual Sidewalk Sale July 11 and 12.

Hours vary with the stores. For more information, call the chamber at (219) 663-1800. LAKES OF THE FOUR SEASONS Summer concert series continues Thursday The free summer concert series continues with Big Ticket The Hungry Brothers at 7 p.m. Thursday on the clubhouse lawn. LOWELL Labor Day committee switches meeting dates Because of the Independence Day holiday, the Lowell Labor Day Festival Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m.

tonight at Town Hall, 501 E. Main St. Anyone interested in joining the committee may do so by attending or calling Sue Peterson at (219)696-7794, ext. 16. CEDAR LAKE Park Department shows what's cooking The Cedar Lake Park and Recreation Department conducts cooking classes from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Tuesdays at the Community Center, 7408 Constitution Ave. The program is open to children 7 to 14 years old. 4 mi MERRILLVILLE Three 16-year-old girls were transported to The Methodist Hospitals Southlake campus Monday after the car they were in left the roadway on Randolph Street near 83rd Avenue and crashed into a tree. A passenger, Katelyn Car-rell of Winfield, received facial lacerations during the accident and remained at the hospital on Tuesday. The driver, Erin Perkins, and a second passenger, Lindsay Yates, both See CRASH, B6 Hobart braces for July 4 City police will be out in large numbers for holiday celebration.

BY GINA CZARK Times Staff Writer JOHN J. WATKINS THE TIMES Detective Cmdr. Tim Wardrip recently returned from a 10-week Intensive training session at the FBI Police Academy. He received this yellow brick for completing the grueling 9.4 mile Yellow Brick Road run, which Includes going through an obstacle course. Merrillville police detective Wardrip completes an intensive and grueling academy training program BY DEBORAH LAVERTY Times Staff Writer errillville Police Detective Cmdr.

Tim Wardrip recently joined the prestigious ranks mission began nearly two years ago and included a background check and physical fitness exam. "They want to make sure you're in good physical condition to make sure you are fit enough since it's very rigorous," he said. The academic classes he took were through the University of Virginia and included executive leadership, statement analysis and violent behavior, all at the graduate level. Undergraduate classes he took included criminal law and labor law and forensics for law enforcement work with law enforcement officers in all 50 states and 20 foreign countries. "It was a very rewarding experience.

It gave me a break from the department, the longest I've been away. It gave me time to reflect on what Fm doing and to come up with ideas to possibly make changes when I came back. It was rewarding in that respect," he said. Wardrip said he was one of 240 people in the session, which began April 6. His wife, Cindy, Police Chief John Shelhart and Assistant Chief Dan Lee attended his graduation ceremonies June 13.

Shelhart and Lee are academy grads. The application process for ad HOBART The city's police department is pulling all the stops to ensure that residents and visitors enjoy a safe July Fourth holiday. Cpl. Rick Zormier, head of the department's Office of Legal and Public Affairs, said police presence will increase during the holiday weekend. With a force of a little more than 50 officers, Zormier said as many as 30 will patrol neighborhoods and be present at the city's Friday morning parade See KOBART, B6 of officers who have attended the FBI National Training Academy.

Wardrip, who graduated on Junel3 from the 10-week, Quantico, school, was back on the job this week fulfilling his roles as head of the detective bureau and public information officer for the department. The experience provided academic growth with courses he can use toward his master's degree, physical fitness classes and allowed him to net managers. See EDUCATION, B4 Floyd Fithian, former local congressman, dead at 76 Floyd Fithian The former congressman left an imprint on the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. ML Staff members recall his 'interest in (his) district' dedication to constituents. BY ELIZABETH EAKEN Times Staff Writer Floyd Fithian, the area's former congressman who left a lasting legacy with the expansion of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the 1970s, died Friday at his retirement home in a suburb of Washington, D.C.

The 76-year-old, who had Parkinson's disease, had become increasingly sick the past two years, a family spokesman said. Fithian, of Lafayette, represented the state's old 2nd Congressional District from 1975 to 1982. The district included all of Porter County and the southern portion of Lake County, as well as several other counties, including his home, Tippecanoe County. Lorena Munro of Valparaiso ran Fithian's Valparaiso district office. "He had no more than taken office when they had quite a meeting for the dunes," Munro said.

"He went back to Congress, and there was more land for the dunes." JOHN J. WATKINS THE TIMES TEAM EFFORT With temperatures In the 80s and plenty of sunshine, Tuesday was a great day for outdoor activities. Brothers Joe and Rob O'Neill, ages 14 and 12, from Chicago Heights, pedal their -way back to shore at Lemon Lake County Park. The boys were enjoying a family outing at the Cedar Lake park. See FITHIAN, B6.