ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Released from Vermont custody, actor Randy Quaid and his wife said Thursday they will now turn their attention to resolving 5-year-old criminal charges in California that they squatted in a home they once owned and vandalized the property.

A Vermont judge dismissed fugitive charges against the couple and released them, citing discrepancies in some dates and saying she couldn’t find probable cause to support the accusations.

Evi Quaid appears in Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans, Vt., on Thursday. The Associated Press

Released from Vermont custody, Randy Quaid says he and his wife will now address 5-year-old criminal charges in California.

The Quaids are wanted in Santa Barbara, California, on felony charges filed in 2010 after they were found living in a guesthouse of a home they previously owned.

Court papers said the Quaids damaged or destroyed furniture, a fireplace and a mirror.

The couple fled to Canada and were arrested in Vermont last Friday while trying to re-enter the United States.

After they left the courthouse Thursday, the Quaids said they’ll stay in Lincoln, Vermont, to care for Evi Quaid’s ailing father and address the California charges.

She grew up in Vermont.

Outside court, Randy Quaid spoke about his stay in jail. He told reporters he was on a wing with three other men, and they all got along and played a lot of cribbage and Sudoko.

“The food wasn’t so bad,” he said.

The Quaids said they were pleased to be in Vermont, and he joked about possibly becoming a firefighter.

“I knew the people of Vermont, the judge and this lawyer would understand our situation,” said Evi Quaid.

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