Actor Randy Quaid, wife released from Vermont jail

ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont judge has released actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi from custody and the couple says they'll now address 5-year-old criminal charges in California.

The Quaids are wanted in Santa Barbara, California, on felony charges filed after they were found squatting in a guesthouse of a home they previously owned. Court papers say the Quaids damaged or destroyed furniture, a fireplace and a mirror.

They fled to Canada and were arrested in Vermont last week while trying to re-enter the U.S. The judge freed them Thursday, saying there is no probable cause to hold them on fugitive from justice charges in Vermont.

The couple addressed reporters after leaving court. They say they'll stay in Vermont to care for Evi Quaid's ailing father and resolve the California charges.

Their detentions are the latest twist in a bizarre saga of court cases and claims of Hollywood killers out to get them.

The Quaids turned up in Canada in October 2010 after missing a California court appearance over felony vandalism charges. They were accused of doing more than $5,000 worth of damage to a property they once owned in Santa Barbara.

But they announced they were seeking asylum in Canada because they feared “Hollywood star whackers” were after them.

They described the purported murderers as accountants, lawyers and “embezzlers” who they claimed were responsible for the death of actor Heath Ledger, whom Randy Quaid appeared with in “Brokeback Mountain.” Ledger died in New York in 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, according to authorities.