VALPARAISO | A man kicked out of The Franklin House bar because of his "vulgarity and state of intoxication" went outside, hit his girlfriend, and then used his car to crash into the building and run over a man standing in the parking lot, police said.

HAMMOND -- The doors of the John Dillinger Museum swung open at 1 p.m. Friday, signaling the end of a long and bitter court fight that pitted county tourism officials against Dillinger's great-nephew.

The museum, which focuses on the life and times of Dillinger and other Depression-era gangsters, is located inside the Indiana Welcome Center on the southwest corner of Kennedy Avenue and Interstate 94 in Hammond.

Attorneys representing the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Jeffery Scalf reached an out-of-court agreement late Thursday. The bureau formally accepted the deal early Friday.

Details of the settlement were not disclosed. Both sides said in a prepared statement they were pleased to bring the lawsuit to an amicable conclusion.

The board's action came two days after filming of "Public Enemies," about John Dillinger and starring Johnny Depp, wrapped up in Crown Point.

Convention and Visitors Bureau President Speros Batistatos said the movie has rekindled interest in Dillinger's history, which he described as a regional story.

Scalf filed suit in 2001 to prevent the museum from displaying Dillinger artifacts. His attorneys argued that state law gives relatives the rights to control a personality's name and image for 100 years after their death.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and $2 for children ages 6 to 12.

Meth bust sets record: $1.2M

Lake County Sheriff's Police made the largest methamphetamine seizure in the history of the department Friday, taking $1.2 million of the drug from a secret compartment of a car driven by a Hoffman Estates, Ill., man.

Police pulled over Kevin Lozano on a traffic stop as he was driving north on Interstate 65 near Lowell in a Buick Century sedan, with his girlfriend and her three children in car seats in the back seat. Behind the seat, concealed in a secret compartment, were clear plastic bags holding 25 pounds of yellow-white crystal meth.

The driver, who has no prior criminal record, appeared nervous, prompting Detective Michael Stewart to ask to search the vehicle. To get to the compartment, Stewart had to unhitch the car seats for the three children, ages 5 to 1 month.

"The children were clearly there to cover up the compartment in case of a search," Stewart said. "Who's going to want to pull three kids out of their car seats to look?"

Sheriff's officers pried open the secret compartment, which the dealers had rigged to open by striking switches for normal parts of the car's electrical system in sequence.

The sealed bags of methamphetamine lying on a table in the Drug Task Force offices Friday gave off a faint, chemical smell that filled the room.

"You can imagine what it could have been like inside a car with the windows rolled up and the kids bouncing up and down on the seat," said Officer Ed Kabella. "It's giving me a headache."

The 21-year-old driver was arrested and lodged at the Lake County Jail. The woman was in the custody of the FBI. Sheriff's officials contacted Child Protective Services to care for the children.

The drugs were likely headed for sale and distribution in Chicago, authorities said. Lozano told Stewart he was returning from a trip to Indianapolis.

Task Force Cmdr. Zon Haralovich said the bust was likely a major blow to whomever hired Lozano, taking more than $1 million in product and a sophisticated courier vehicle out of commission.

"This is a major disruption. Somebody out there is paying for this," Haralovich said. "They're going to be spinning their wheels trying to recoup their losses."