CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After serving 22 months of his 44-month-long sentence, former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was released Thursday from the Federal Correctional Institution in Morgantown, West Virginia.
It is a six-hour drive back to Charlotte, and by early Thursday evening, Cannon's whereabouts were not known.
At his Ballantyne home, two people were let inside Thursday afternoon carrying what appeared to be electronic equipment, perhaps for the monitor bracelet Cannon will likely have to wear while he is under home confinement.
Because part of his sentence was reduced after he completed an alcohol treatment program, Cannon might also have to report to a special halfway house in Charlotte.
Cannon's long time friend, County Commissioner Pat Cotham, said she hoped Cannon would get a chance to start building his life again.
"My message to him is to enjoy his family and take time for himself and his family to reconnect," she said.
The President of the homeowners association where Cannon lives, Tony Fabiano, said neighbors have forgiven Cannon, who pleaded guilty to accepting thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI operatives who he believed were real estate developers.
"We just wish for him the best in his journey back to redemption and the path he has chosen," said Fabiano.