Kwame Kilpatrick Has Been Released From Prison
Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is a free man. He was released from a southern Michigan prison facility Tuesday after serving 14 months for violating his 2008 probation. Kilpatrick was met by a brother-in-law and an attorney, who escorted him to a vehicle, which then headed toward Detroit, the Associated Press reports.
The disgraced politician reportedly will rejoin his wife and children at their home in Dallas, and his parole will be supervised by Texas authorities. In a statement issued before his release, Kilpatrick said that he would speak publicly about his prison term.
"Detroit, I will return to speak frankly with you about this experience because it has affected all of us," he said in the statement.
Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman John Cordell said that Kilpatrick told his relative and attorney, “It's good to be out. I'm on my way." But he’s not completely free yet. He still faces a federal corruption trial that could land him back in prison. Kilpatrick also still owes the city of Detroit, which spent $8.4 million on his original trial, more than $800,000. A judge recently ruled that all of the proceeds from his new book must go toward paying off the debt.
(Photo: AP Photo/The Detroit News, David Coates)