O.J. Simpson is free on parole after serving nine years in prison for a Las Vegas armed robbery, a Nevada prison official said.

“O.J. Simpson is out, he is a free man,” Nevada Department of Corrections spokeswoman Brooke Keast said.

Simpson was freed early Sunday and was picked up by a friend, according to Keast.
The Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners voted unanimously to grant Simpson’s release in July.
Simpson, 70, served nine years of a 33-year sentence for kidnapping and armed robbery after a raid on memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas Hotel room.
Simpson has maintained that he was trying to recover family mementos and memorabilia taken from him.

After he was granted parole, the Nevada Department of Corrections took extra measures to protect him. Guards moved him to a single cell away from the rest of the prison population.

“The last thing we want is some prisoner trying to make a name for himself by attacking Simpson,” Keast said.

– cnn.com