Veterinarian released, then brought back to prison just days apart

Surfside Beach, S.C. — A South Carolina veterinarian is back in prison serving the remainder of a four-year prison term for a fatal hit-and-run-accident after she was mistakenly released early.

Rachel Easterly, 45, was released from state prison April 30 based on a computer error. Prison officials made an error by entering her crime as a hit-and-run accident, instead of a hit-and-run accident resulting in a death, says Josh Gelinas, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Corrections. She is not eligible for parole until October 2011, Gelinas says.

Once the error was realized, Easterly was brought back to prison on May 4, just a few days later without incident.

In May 2008, Easterly pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a fatal accident, a few weeks after she officially was charged with the crime. The accident occurred in late February 2007, when Easterly hit and injured a 15-year-old boy.

The South Carolina Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners was notified of Easterly's conviction and revoked her license in May 2009. Her license was reinstated, but indefinitely listed as on probation, in August 2009. As a condition of the reinstatement, Easterly may only practice in the public employment setting through the South Carolina Department of Corrections Work Agreement Program, according to state board records.