Back in June, Rob went out on a limb and wrote an informal letter to the judge that sentenced him asking about early release from probation.  We never expected to hear anything back, but surprisingly enough, a couple of weeks later we received a copy of a letter that was sent to his probation officer which basically said, "if you have any objection to Rob's request, let the court know by July 23rd".  I guess there was no objection because on July 29th, we received a letter from the court saying probation was terminated.  After all our other experiences with the legal system, it's amazing to actually how fast it can move sometimes.
<p>We're excited to be able to travel again without having to plan weeks in advance and file for permission.  Rob had to turn in his passport when he was initially arrested and was told he could have it back after everything was over.  So, we asked probation for it back but was told they only keep it for a year then turn it back into the State Department.  Odd, but I guess it's not that much of a pain to get another one.  Whether or not other counties will allow Rob in is a different story (it's unlikely he'll ever be going to Canada again with their laws relating to felons entering the country.  Even DUI is considered a felony in Canada, so if you've ever had a DUI in the US, there's a very good chance Canada will turn you around at the border if it comes up in a background check).
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