Chowchilla ‘busnapper’ wins release from prison

Published June 16, 2012 1:04am ET



SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One of three young men from wealthy families who kidnapped and hid a busload of California schoolchildren in a 1976 ransom attempt that captured the nation’s attention has gained his freedom after more than 35 years in prison, officials announced Friday.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that it would release Richard Schoenfeld later this month to an undetermined location. An appeals court earlier this year ordered Schoenfeld’s immediate release after ruling the Board of Parole Hearings unfairly set his release date for 2021 even though it concluded he wasn’t a threat to society.

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