Former Prison Break actor Lane Garrison was released from prison early Wednesday morning.  He was serving a sentence of three years and four months after admitting responsibility to a car crash that killed a 17-year-old girl, and injuring her two friends, more than two years ago.

Garrison, who played "Tweener" Apolskis on the first two seasons of the Fox drama, was paroled before being picked up from the California Correctional Institution in the town of Tehachapi, according to authorities.  He was released before his full sentence was served because of his good behavior.  It's also said that he participated in a substance abuse program while in prison, and is eligible for a similar program after his release.

"I'm blessed to be alive," he later told E! Online.  "I'm just worried about getting through treatment right now.  I'm looking forward to getting on with my life and doing the right thing and helping people."

Some sources said the actor then went to the home of singer Jessica Simpson's parents in nearby Encino; her father, Joe, was Garrison's youth minister during his years in Texas.

The car crash, which happened in December 2006, saw Garrison ram his Land Rover into a tree, killing one of his passengers, Vahagn Setian, and injuring two others.  He met the girls at a grocery store and accompanied them to a party.  An investigation later found out that the actor's blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit for driving, and was also under the influence of cocaine.

He later pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and a couple of misdemeanor counts.  In October 2007, he was sentenced to serve three years and four months in prison, as well as four years of parole and around $300,000 in restitution to the victims' families.  Another lawsuit, filed by the families of Setian and Michelle Ohana, one of the injured victims, was recently dismissed at the request of both parties.


-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Sources: AP, E! Online
(Image courtesy of AP)