Lane Garrison Released From Prison

LOS ANGELES — Lane Garrison, who was serving a sentence of three years and four months for a drunken driving crash that killed a 17-year-old Beverly Hills High student, has been released from prison.

The former "Prison Break" actor was paroled and picked up at 3:50 a.m. Wednesday from the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, Calif., Lt. Jon Bartelmie said.

He participated in a substance abuse program while at the prison and is eligible for a similar program now that he's been released, Bartelmie said.

Garrison was charged after a December 2006 crash in which he rammed his Land Rover into a tree, killing Vahagn Setian and injuring two other teenage girls.

He later pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and misdemeanor counts of drunken driving and giving alcohol to a minor.

Garrison was sentenced in October 2007 to serve three years and four months in prison. He was also ordered to serve four years' parole and to pay about $300,000 in restitution to the victims and their families.

Bartelmie said Garrison was released before serving his full sentence because he received credits for good behavior, which is a common practice.

The actor met the girls at a grocery store and accompanied them to a party . At the time of the crash, he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving, and was under the influence of cocaine, according to police.

A civil lawsuit filed by Setian's family and Michelle Ohana, one of the girls injured in the crash, was recently dismissed at the request of the parties.

Comments

[RJII]

hope he pulls his sht together. lessons here: don't drink and drive, don't get in the car with a driver you know is drunk.

[rabiddog6708]

So the guy only spends about a year and a half (didn't begin serving sentence until October 2007) behind bars. Some junkie gets caught with drugs and spends 20 years in the Big House. If you wanted to ki// someone and get off light, get liquored up and run them down with your car.

[Slackjaw1]

Never thought of it that way, but I think you really nailed it with that one!

[RJII]

hmm...

[hypnus]

Yes, but don’t forget you also must be a celebrity and make sure you run down your victim in West Los Angeles. That’s how you get a low cal sentence.

[method]

...offensive, not defensive...my bad.

[sedum]

When you see him slinging burgers at Wendy's, tell him all about the injustice of it all.

[mush9902]

Sentencing disparities...no excuses, we live in an INSANE world.

[mlaiuppa]

So you can get away with murder as long as you're drunk? (And a TV star.) Wow. A whole year and a half and a few hundred thousand dollars. Boy, I'll bet he sure learned his lesson didn't he? Life is sure cheap.

[method]

This is ridiculous to allow this creep to be set free after 1 yr. That's obsurd - good behavior. He took a life! He knew before sitting behind the wheel of his car that he was intoxicated. That should be premeditation. I don't understand if you shoot a person you get life...but if you drive drunk and kill a person you get 1yr w/good behavior. Where's the logic? Ooops I forgot he is a so-called actor. Never mind, now I understand. I feel for the victim's family

[LiberalBuzz]

Actually he DID NOT know. That is the problem with being impaired, you are not fully aware of your impairment. It does seem absurd to do such a low sentence but the sentences are getting longer and longer. Eventually it will be life in prison.

Oh and spare us the cr a p about being an actor. These sentences are commonplace. So give that s iht a rest already.

[method]

You must be one of those "actors" who is currently waitressing to be so defensive. And besides, he knew his impairment stumbling out of the club or wherever he was coming from.

[WilliamL]

didn't a skinny pop singer/actress do the same thing in her Rover and walked?

Sun was in her eyes on the 405?

[Jebediah Johnson]

Was it the same thing? Was she under the influence? I mean, under the influence of something other than the bourgeois death drive?

[robXdion]

That was Brandi on the 5. Also the Noxema Girl did the same thing. However, neither were drunk or had a crusty nose caked with white icing.

[rabb046]

The Noxema girli was on her cell phone in her SUV, using the left turn lane to pass the cars that had stopped to allow the nine year old pedestrian to cross.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Gayheart

She didn't walk.
She had to pay a fine and do a public service announcement which I have never seen.

[AlexNYC]

That was pretty quick, sure doesn't seem like 3 years and 4 months to me.

[DrunkenTromboneMaster]

Read the entire article next time.