Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick walked out of jail early this morning, a free man after nearly 100 days in prison for crimes he committed while in office. Once a larger-than-life figure in the struggling city, Kilpatrick came out 25 pounds lighter, quieter and shyer than usual. Though he had an entourage of friends, his family didn’t seem interested in celebrating Kilpatrick’s freedom: his brother-in-law was the only one present to see the fallen politician released. His wife, Carlita, and three young sons reportedly already left Michigan.

Now that he’s a free man, what’s the disgraced sex-sandal-laden ex-mayor to do? After admitting he lied under oath and pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice, Kilpatrick is reportedly heading to a job interview with an unnamed company in Texas. He could probably use the money for part of his punishment — to pay $1 million in retribution to the city.

It’s been more than a year since a text-messaging sex scandal started the long process that ended in Kilpatrick’s disgraceful arrest, plea, jailing and release. Kilpatrick was into the middle of his second term as mayor when sexually explicit text messages with his then-Chief of Staff Christine Beatty were published by Detroit’s Free Press. According to the Associated Press, the text messages revealed that Kilpatrick lied about his infidelity in 2007:

The messages from Beatty’s city-issued pager also contradicted testimony that she and the married mayor gave during a 2007 whistle-blowers’ trial when they denied having a romantic relationship. The messages also indicated they lied about their roles in the firing of a police official. The cash-strapped city, now facing a deficit believed to be more than $200 million, eventually settled the civil suit with three former officers for $8.4 million. 

Kilpatrick was greeted with some warm welcomes when he stepped out into the cold streets of the city he once oversaw. According to AP, a crowd anxiously awaited him and screamed occasionally: "We love you, Kwame. Detroit loves you, baby!"

The state also seems to have fond feelings for his mother, too. Despite the scandal surrounding her son, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-MI, won (by a nose) the Democratic primary in her bid to keep her seat in Congress.

Read more from the Detroit Free Press.