Sara Jane Olson released from prison

MADERA, Calif., March 17 (UPI) -- Former 1970s militant Sara Jane Olson was released from prison in California Tuesday and is free to serve her probation in Minnesota, officials said.

Olson, 62, who served seven years for trying to blow up police cars and participating in a deadly bank robbery in the early 1970s, was processed and released into the custody of her husband in Madera County, California, The Star Tribune newspaper reported in Minneapolis.

Olson, whose real name is Kathleen Soliah, told California prison officials she wanted to return to St. Paul, Minn., where she lived under an assumed identity as a fugitive for many years, and state officials say they have granted her request.

"Olson petitioned to have her parole supervision transferred to Minnesota upon completion of her sentence, so that she could be placed with her husband and family members. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation approved the request," DOC officials said in a release.

Olson's desire to return to Minnesota has caused a controversy, with some state lawmakers calling for her to be barred from coming back, The Star Tribune reported.