Lane Garrison

As an up-and-coming young performer with a significant supporting role on the hit television series "Prison Break" (Fox, 2005-09) and an appearance in a major motion picture, actor Lane Garrison's seemingly charmed life took a turn for the worst in 2006, when a car he was driving struck a tree and killed one of his teenaged passengers. Conflicting accounts from his legal team about the level of alcohol in his system at the time of the crash were swept away when he was convicted of vehicular manslaughter, among several other charges -- all of which overshadowed his once promising career.

But Garrison's life has been marked by run-ins with the law since his teenage years. Born May 23, 1980 in Dallas, TX, Garrison stole repeatedly from both neighbors and strangers; his mother was reportedly something of a tough case, and after discovering Garrison's criminal acts, she beat him furiously and brought him down to the local police station, where he was cuffed and placed in a cell in an attempt to scare him into good behavior.

The tactic did not work, and Garrison's relationship with his mother deteriorated over the next few years. By the age of 17, he was unable to live with her, instead turning to his minister, Joe Simpson, who was also managing the budding pop careers of his daughters Jessica and Ashley. Simpson took in Garrison and apparently straightened him out. The young man graduated from high school in 1998 and moved to Los Angeles that same year to pursue a career as an actor.

Garrison's handsome, all-American looks helped him find work almost immediately after arriving in Hollywood. He was cast in several television commercials and landed his first feature in the 1999 independent production, "4 Faces," which was directed by veteran filmmaker Ted Post and written by character actor Peter Mark Richman. In 2004, he headlined the indie drama, "Quality of Life," about a talented graffiti artist, followed by Garrison's episodic TV debut the following year in the ill-fated "Night Stalker" (ABC, 2005) series. That same year, he got the break of a lifetime when he became a recurring character on the hit program "Prison Break."

Garrison played David Apolskis, nicknamed "Tweener" by the rest of the convicts in the prison, due to his immature behavior. Like Garrison, Apolskis' early life was marked by misdemeanors - he became a pickpocket after his dreams of a football career fell by the wayside. Apolskis was later convicted of grand larceny when it was discovered that a baseball card collection he had stolen contained a priceless and historically significant card.

Shipped off to the show's Fox River penitentiary, Apolskis attempted to fit in with the black inmate population, but was rejected; instead finding friendship with series lead Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), who attempted to protect him from nefarious types on both sides of the prison bars. Apolskis later joined Scofield as part of the eight-man team that escaped Fox River at the end of the first season. Unfortunately, in the ninth episode of the show's second season, he ran afoul of the vicious Agent Mahone (William Ficthner), who was heading the task force to find the missing convicts.

Mahone murdered Apolskis in cold blood and planted a gun on his body to make it seem like he had died while Mahone was defending himself. Though Garrison was out of his "Prison Break" job, he had landed a role in the Mark Walhberg action film "Shooter." One might have assumed that his fortunes were on the rise.

But in real life, Garrison's luck was no better than that of his "Prison Break" character. A minor traffic accident in October of 2006 foreshadowed the tragedy that would befall him less than two months later. In December 2006, Garrison met three teenagers - a pair of 15-year-old girls, and a 17-year-old boy named Vahagn Setian - at a gas station in Los Angeles. After purchasing alcohol for the underagers, he attended a party with them. Later, all four left the party to purchase more alcohol, but just prior to midnight, his SUV struck a tree in Beverly Hills, killing Setian and injuring the two girls.

Through his legal counsel, Garrison attempted to claim that he had met the teenagers at a supermarket and had consumed but a single drink at a Mexican restaurant prior to attending the party. He also stated that his car had mechanical problems that could have contributed to the crash. But witnesses from the party who reported seeing him consume alcohol, soon contradicted his statements. This was soon supported by a blood test administered by the police after the crash, which showed his blood alcohol level at twice the legal limit. Garrison also tested positive for cocaine use.

In March of 2007, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office filed charges against Garrison for vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Garrison surrendered to the Beverly Hills police department that same month, and was freed on $100,000 bail; an arraignment was scheduled for April 11 of that year.

In May, the actor plead guilty to to one count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, one count of driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 percent or higher, and a misdemeanor of providing alcohol to a minor. In October, he received a three year, 4 month jail sentence. Before hearing his fate, Garrison addressed Setian's parents, expressing his regret again for his bad decision making that night. He was led away in cuffs after hearing his sentence, to begin immediately serving his time.