Former Macomb County sheriff William Hackel, 61, will be freed after spending the minimum time required in prison -- most of the time in a federal facility in Kentucky -- for the October 1999 sexual assault of a 25-year-old woman in a hotel room at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant, according to the Macomb Daily.

HACKEL RELEASE Previous Stories: March 18, 2003: Sheriff Convicted Of Rape Gets Parole December 27, 2002: Former Sheriff Plans Appeal In Rape Conviction January 8, 2002: Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Hackel August 28, 2001: $25,000 Suit Against Hackel Dropped April 18, 2001: Woman Suing Hackel For Distress January 11, 2001: Former Sheriff Plans To Appeal Rape Conviction

Hackel admitted to having sex with the victim on a Sunday afternoon while his wife, Ada, was in the casino playing video poker.

Hackel will be released from the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson at 8 a.m. Thursday after spending three years incarcerated as prisoner No. 23684-039 in the custody of the state Department of Corrections, the paper reported.

His wife and mother, Margaret, will pick him up from the facility, according to the paper.

Although he was convicted by a jury, Hackel is innocent of assaulting the woman, in the minds of some Macomb residents, who believe the victim was lying.

Others have said that even if he was guilty, he has suffered enough and should be allowed to resume his life with a clean slate.

Hackel's release after serving the minimum sentence was unusual because more than 85 percent of sex offenders are rejected in their initial attempt for parole.

Officials described him as a model prisoner who volunteered 20 to 25 hours per week as a tutor and helper to disabled prisoners, according to a Jan. 24, 2003, progress report.

The group, Friends of Bill Hackel, in June will throw a party at C.J. Barrymore's on Hall Road in Clinton Township, to welcome him home and raise money for his legal defense fund, the paper reported.

Hackel reportedly spent tens of thousands of dollars for his legal defense.

Hackel will receive a $60,000 annual pension for his 23 years as sheriff. While in prison, the pension was reduced by the $1,000 per month payment to the DOC to help fund his incarceration, according to the paper.

Once released Thursday, Hackel will retain obligations to the Department of Corrections. He will have to complete and pay for a therapy program, report weekly or every other week to a parole officer and report his address for the state sex offenders' list, DOC spokesman Leo Lalonde told the paper.

Hackel will be on parole for two years.