Sheen's Early Release

By Stephen M. Silverman

Thursday October 08, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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A Los Angeles judge yesterday granted Charlie Sheen's request to have his probation -- for a 1996 misdemeanor battery conviction -- terminated more than two months early. "It's a great day," the actor, who will take over the lead role in the ABC sitcom "Spin City" this fall, said to reporters outside the courtroom on Monday. The probation, stemming from Sheen's attack on a former girlfriend, was to have run until June 6, 2000. During the courtroom proceedings, Judge Lawrence Mira told 34-year-old Sheen, "Everyone has their demons, and I believe you're winning the battle but you haven't won yet. Still, you've made an enormous turnaround in your life and career. You don't need me anymore."