Poundstone Sprung from Rehab

Back in court again Wednesday for a progress hearing in her child-endangerment case, the stand-up funnylady finally got some good news, as a Santa Monica judge pronounced her free to go home after a six-month stint in rehab.

"You have remained abstinent and have done all the other tasks I asked you to do," said Superior Court Judge Bernard Kamins. "Today is really a day for commendation rather than to bite you."

The judge--who just a month ago ordered Poundstone briefly jailed for using prescription pills without permission from her rehab counselor--said the comic had made great strides in rehab.

Poundstone had been living in Promises, a celeb-friendly clinic in Malibu, since June.

But while she is free to return home, she remains on probation and must submit to monthly psychological evaluations for a year. She is also permitted to resume her stand-up career--provided she notifies her probation officer and travels with a chaperone.

Poundstone barely spoke in court Wednesday and did not address reporters. But her attorney, Steven Cron, said she was happy to go home. "She spent a long time in a rehab center that is normally designed for shorter periods of stay. She's ready to go," he said.

In October, Poundstone was sentenced to five years' probation after she pleaded no contest to felony child endangerment and a misdemeanor count of inflicting injury on a child stemming from incidents involving kids in her care. In addition to fines, counseling and community service, she was ordered to finish up her 180-day stint in live-in alcohol rehab and told not to consume any drugs or alcoholic beverages.

Poundstone was arrested June 27 on three counts of lewd conduct involving a girl under 14, and another count of child endangerment on two boys and two girls. The arrest came after witnesses reported the 41-year-old entertainer was drunk as she drove four of her kids to get ice cream, Cron said.

At the time of her arrest, Poundstone, a single mom, had three adopted children and two foster kids in her charge, ranging in age from 12 to two months. The two foster children were subsequently taken away from her, and she has been barred from adopting any more children or taking in any more foster kids. Visits with her adopted children will be monitored, and a family court will rule at a later date whether she can keep custody.

Cron later revealed Poundstone was battling alcoholism and in fact was in Promises being treated when she was arrested.

Prosecutors eventually dropped the lewd-conduct charges against Poundstone in exchange for her no-contest plea to the other charges.

She is due back in court February 20 for another progress hearing.