Santa Barbara DA Vows to Bring Randy Quaid to Justice Despite Legal Setback

Prosecutors say they “remain hopeful” after “Independence Day” actor and his wife were released from a Vermont jail

Vermont State Police

Randy Quaid and his wife Evi are free — but perhaps not for long.

On Thursday, after news broke that the Quaids had been freed from a Vermont jail, where they had been held since Oct. 9, the Santa Barbara, Calif., district attorney’s office vowed to continue its efforts to bring the couple to justice.

“We were prepared for this possibility and had already begun the process of seeking a Governor’s warrant,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement to TheWrap, referring to a warrant that would allow for the Quaids to be extradited.

The process for obtaining such a warrant in California typically takes 60 to 90 days. In the meantime, the district attorney’s office said the couple will likely be arrested if they leave Vermont, in accordance with a previously existing warrant.

“Even as we seek the Governor’s warrant, we remain hopeful that [the Quaids] will return to Santa Barbara to face the aforementioned charges,” the district attorney’s office said.

“Independence Day” actor Quaid and his wife are considered fugitives, wanted in Santa Barbara, Calif., to face felony vandalism charges from 2010.  Authorities said they were found squatting in a guesthouse of a home they previously owned.

The couple fled to Canada, where Evi was granted citizenship but Randy was denied permanent residency.

They were detained at the Vermont border on Oct. 9 while trying to return to the United States, but were freed after a judge determined that there was no legal basis to incarcerate them.

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