Hide Article Text (OCR)
TYerga Must Remain inPrison Till He Is 74Bandit Admits He and Partner Feared Hammond Police Radio1SPEC1AL TO THE TIMES]CROWN POINT, Ind., March 5. —John Yerga, 29-year-old Hessville bandit, today faced the bleak future of remaining behind prison bars at least until he reaches the age of 74.He was sentenced by Criminal Judge William J. Murray yesterday afternoon to 20 years in prison on each of two charges of robbery and to 25 years on each of two charges of robbery while armed. The sentences are to run consecutively. On good behavior Yerga can be released in 45 years, or atthe age of 74.Yerga’s crime career, which started at the age of 9 and which included 16 recent stickups, ended February 8 when he was wounded and his accomplice, Clarence Lent-ner, was slain by Tony Sodo after the two held up the latter’s Calumet City tavern. Sodo also was wounded when he grappled with Lentner for the bandit’s pistol.Yerga admitted that he and Lent-ner avoided Hammond in their stickup business because police there have a two-way radio system which enables squad cars to communicate with each other as well as with headquarters. They 1 plied their trade in Gary, East Chicago, Calumet City and other Illinois communities where police are not equipped with two-way radio hook-ups.\
Newspaper Details
Hammond Times
Hammond, Indiana, US
Thu, Mar 05, 1936
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Lake C.
IN, USA 17 Feb 2023
Other Publications Near Hammond, Indiana
Hammond Times
Hammond Lake County Times
Hammond Whiting Evening Times
Hammond Gary Evening Times
