NEWS

Randy Quaid to stay in VT, hopes to become firefighter

Mike Donoghue
Free Press Staff Writer

ST. ALBANS A judge dismissed charges of being fugitives from justice against actor Randy Quaid and his wife and ordered the pair released from prison Thursday afternoon.

The couple, wanted in California on multiple charges including felony vandalism, had been held in Vermont for lack of $500,000 bail each since Friday night, when they were arrested in West Berkshire while trying to enter the United States from Canada.

Randy and Evi Quaid celebrate after being released from custody at Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans on Thursday, October 15, 2015.

Vermont Superior Court Judge Alison Arms initially ruled there was probable cause to proceed with the fugitive case against Randy Quaid, 65, and his wife, Evi, 52, in Vermont, but about five minutes after leaving the bench following more than an hour of hearings, lawyers hustled back into court, and the judge reversed her ruling, noting a problem with some paperwork from California.

Franklin County sheriff's deputies took off the couple's handcuffs and chains, and they kissed in celebration. Minutes later, they walked out of the courthouse into the fall sunshine, surrounded by reporters.

Randy Quaid said he is looking forward to staying in Vermont with his wife for the time being and said he wants to join the volunteer fire department in the Addison County town of Lincoln, about 50 miles south of St. Albans.

“I’ve always known the facts were what they are, and they are always in our favor," Quaid said. "I’ve never worried about being found guilty or any of that for any of this because I know the truth, and I knew the facts are going to come out at some point.”

The couple is headed to Lincoln to be with Evi Quaid's father, George Motolanez, a longtime Russian instructor at Middlebury Union High School and Middlebury College. Motolanez has been ill, defense lawyer Peter Langrock said.

Randy Quaid and Langrock said the actor wants to resolve the California charges, but nobody would say when the Quaids might return to Santa Barbara to face the accusations.

Franklin County State's Attorney Jim Hughes said it appears the couple could stay in Vermont and avoid another arrest unless California officials file proper paperwork.

Thursday night the Santa Barbara prosecutors released a statement saying they would make a second effort to force the return of the Quaids after their release in Vermont.

“We were prepared for this possibility and had already begun the process of seeking a Governor’s warrant.

“Seeking a Governor’s Warrant in California has historically taken between 60 to 90 days. Our Santa Barbara County warrant remains active in all other states. Should the Quaids leave Vermont and enter another state, we expect that they will be arrested on the Santa Barbara County warrant.”

The news release goes on to say even as the governor’s warrant is requested, the hope is the Quaids will return to California to face the 5-year-old charges.

Judge Arms initially had reduced bail for Randy Quaid and Evi Quaid to $50,000 and said the "Independence Day" star and his wife must stay in Vermont if released from jail, unless approved by the court. She also ordered that they avoid being charged with any new crimes.

But after reversing herself, the judge told the Quaids they were free to leave without any conditions or requirements to post bail.

Arms noted that no judge in California had ever found probable cause for the criminal charges filed in 2010. Prosecutor Hughes told the court that since initial court appearances Monday for the Quaids, he received only about two paragraphs from California officials providing details of the cases.

Lee Carter, senior deputy district attorney in Santa Barbara County, wrote in an email to Hughes and police that "the Probable Cause sheet that I forwarded to you was not reviewed by a judge because the Quaids did not remain in custody, they bailed out and were released before 2 p.m., the day following their arrest."

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley told the Burlington Free Press minutes after the Quaids were freed from custody that the couple's release was news to her, and she had yet to review anything from the Vermont court. A few hours later, nobody answered phone calls at her office.

During Thursday's court hearings in St. Albans, the Quaids' defense challenged their arrests in Vermont on the fugitive charges.

The actor "is not going to hide" if he is released from jail, Langrock told the judge.

Randy Quaid appears in Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans on Thursday, October 15, 2015.

"This man is a genius," Evi Quaid told the Burlington Free Press, referring to the couple's lawyer. "My father recommended him highly."

Randy Quaid was pleased with the reversal.

“I was relieved. I wanted to kiss his balding head,” he said, pointing to Langrock.

Unlike his wife, Quaid said he was treated well in prison.

“I was on a wing with three other guys, and I played a lot cribbage and Sudoku," the actor said. "The food wasn’t so bad.”

He said the men might get roles in his next movie if he “can swing it with their agents. We’ll try it.”

Evi Quaid was involved in an altercation in prison on Sunday with a suspect in an attempted murder case during which the second woman threw feces into her cell. Langrock said that incident left Evi Quaid traumatized. He said it took six prison guards, carrying shields, to take control of the incident at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington.

In court Thursday, Judge Arms noted that Randy Quaid has failed to appear in court more than once. Langrock countered that it would be foolish for Quaid to go into hiding and said the actor wants to resolve the case.

Langrock maintained the $500,000 bail set in California was due to the celebrity status there. Arms said the status of the Quaids had nothing to do with her decision regarding bail.

Evi Quaid hugs attorney Peter Langrock after a judge ruled that she and Randy Quaid, right, should be released from custody in Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans on Thursday, October 15, 2015.

The Quaids are wanted in Santa Barbara on felony vandalism charges filed in 2010 after they were found squatting in a guesthouse of a home they previously owned. Court papers state the Quaids damaged or destroyed furniture, a fireplace and a mirror. They're charged with occupying the property illegally and with failing to appear for court dates.

A California prosecutor is seeking $10,000 in restitution in the vandalism case, Hughes, the Vermont prosecutor, said in court Thursday.

At issue in Randy Quaid's hearing was whether he should be released on conditions or reduced bail, and also whether a California judge ever found probable cause to support charges against the couple. Judge Arms ruled there is no probable cause to charge Randy Quaid with vandalism or trespassing in California. She later made the same determination for Evi Quaid.

The judge initially did find a legal basis for the charge against the Quaids alleging they failed to appear in court in 2010. Langrock argued the actor's jailing on $500,000 bail was disproportionate given the relatively small amount of damage the Quaids are alleged to have caused.

Langrock said before the court hearings that the defense was filing three motions with the court: to dismiss the charge, to set bail and to challenge the arrests.

The couple fled the U.S. after the California charges, saying they were victims of persecution. Randy Quaid had sought to stay in Canada, saying he was being hunted by "Hollywood star-whackers" who killed his friends David Carradine and Heath Ledger. Last week, Quaid said in interview with The Associated Press from a detention center in Laval, Quebec, that he wanted to resolve the legal issues and "move on with my life."

Evi Quaid appears in Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans on Thursday, October 15, 2015.  a judge ruled that Randy and Evi Quaid should be released from jail.

Evi Quaid also is charged with impeding sheriff's deputies. She pleaded not guilty Monday in Burlington to being a fugitive from justice.

Randy Quaid's arraignment on the same charge was continued until Thursday because California's courts were closed for the Columbus Day holiday Monday, and the Franklin County State's Attorney's Office was unable to obtain needed paperwork.

Among Randy Quaid's best known roles are appearances in the "National Lampoon's Vacation" movies, "Independence Day" and "Kingpin." He won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in "LBJ: The Early Years."

Randy Quaid, center, and Evi Quaid, second from left, celebrate being released from jail with lawyer Peter Langrock, left, outisde Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans on Thursday, October 15, 2015.

EARLIER:

Contributing: Zach Despart, Ryan Mercer and Adam Silverman of the Free Press, and The Associated Press. Contact Mike Donoghue at 660-1845 or mdonoghue@burligntonfreepress,com.  Follow Mike on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FreepsMikeD.