A major development took place in Randy Quaid’s case, as the actor and his wife, Evi Quaid, were released from police custody after a Vermont Judge dismissed fugitive charges against the couple.
The couple was taken into custody after the police caught them trying to cross the Canadian border into the United States last week. The couple moved to Canada in 2010 after Quaid was charged with vandalism in Santa Barbara, California. According to the reports, the couple was found squatting in a guest house of a home they entered without authorization.
Initially, the couple was sentenced to $500,000 bail last Friday. A lot of mind-changing was involved in the current decision as Judge Alison Arms first reduced the bail to $50,000 each. After the recess, the judge returned with a change of mind stating that no probable cause to hold the couple was found.
After the release, Randy expressed his gratitude and said he was glad that the judge was fair and the right decision was made. However, commenting on the vandalism case in California, Quaid and his wife maintain their innocence despite a major difference in their statement. While Quaid tags the issue as a property dispute, Evi claims that the house is their property to begin with.
The couple caused around $5,000 in damage to the property they squatted in. While they will no longer be fugitives, the will still have to face the court for the original charges of vandalism.
Prior to the vandalism charges in 2010, Randy Quaid remained a reputable actor in Hollywood with multiple award nominations to his name. He won a Golden Globe for his performance in LBJ: The Early Years. Most people know him from his roles in more commercially successful features such as Independence Day and Brokeback Mountain.
The actor has a history of legal issues including the 2006 lawsuit he filed against Focus Features and the makers of Brokeback Mountain for misleading the actor into agreeing for below-the-market rates. He later dropped the lawsuit claiming that Focus Features agreed to pay the bonus. The later maintains that no such settlement was made.
In 2009, Quaid and his wife were detained in Texas for allegedly failing to pay $10,000 worth of hotel bills in California. Later, the actor failed to appear in court and an arrest warrant was issued in 2010. The charges, however, were finally dismissed after Quaid appeared in court. Evi, on the other hand was charged probation for three years.
Since 2013, the couple has been living in Montreal under immigration detention. The current arrest was made after they were released by the Immigration and Refugee Board on October 8th, on a conviction that they will return to the US and face the court within two weeks time.
The latest news is that the Santa Barbara, California DA’s office will now seek an extradition warrant against the couple. The procedure may take 60 to 90 days.
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