Lane Garrison Gets His Prison Break

Actor out of prison after serving close to half of a 40-month sentence for vehicular manslaughter

Lane Garrison is a free man.

E! News has learned exclusively that the 28-year-old actor was released early Wednesday morning from California Correctional Institute in rural Tehachapi, Calif.

The onetime Prison Break player was greeted by family and friends outside the prison, located about a three-hour drive north of Los Angeles. A source close to the actor tells us, "He's done his time and now he's looking forward to trying to move on with his life."

Although Garrison is through with prison, the actor will now check himself into an in-patient rehabilitation center in order to shorten his probation period, sources confirm.

In November 2007, Garrison was sentenced to 40 months in state prison after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter for his role in a DUI crash in Beverly Hills that left a 17-year-old boy dead and injured a 15-year-old girl.

At the time of the crash, Garrison had cocaine in his system and his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Terry Thornton, spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told E! that Garrison had earned enough good-behavior credits to warrant his release after serving roughly half of his court-ordered sentence.

"He was sentenced to three years and four months, but inmates, including Mr. Garrison can earn credits that reduce the time that they spend in prison," says Thornton.  "He received half time—meaning that for every day that he participated in a rehabilitative program, he got a day off his sentence."  

Thornton adds that Garrison was in a substance abuse treatment program while in prison and was even a peer mentor to other inmates while he served his time. In order to be a mentor in prison, the inmate cannot have any disciplinary infractions.

Garrison has been in state prison since November 20, 2007, and, through various transfers, has been housed among the general population.

Just last week, Garrison agreed to a financial settlement with the victims and their family members involved in his 2007 car crash.

Details of the private settlement were not disclosed.

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