TARZANA - One of two suspects accused of drenching an exotic dancer with gasoline and setting her on fire had just been released from jail, having served a fraction of his one-year term for meth possession.

Nathaniel Petrillo, [pictured] 22, of Reseda, was back on the streets when Thursday's early morning assault on the dancer occurred, although he had been sentenced to 365 days in jail Sept. 15.

Neither court records nor officials could explain his early release.

Petrillo was not eligible for assignment to a drug-treatment facility, according to records. And when jailed in the drug-possession case, he was considered a flight risk, with bail set at $35,000, according to records at Van Nuys Superior Court.

"If somebody is sentenced to one year in jail, they should serve their maximum time to ensure the safety and security of the community we serve," said Lt. Steve Sambar of the LAPD's West Valley Division.

Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office, said early release is common in nonviolent felony cases.

Petrillo and Rianne Theriault-Odom, 27, of North Hollywood were being sought Friday in the attack on the dancer. The LAPD threw a dragnet across the Valley in the search.

Both are accused of setting fire to Roberta Abdue Dos Santos Busby, 27, of Simi Valley, a Brazilian-born dancer, outside the Babes N' Beer bikini bar in Tarzana.

Busby, a single mother of two, was listed in critical condition at the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital after suffering burns over 40 percent of her body.

"We're working around the clock on this," said LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, chief of detectives. "We have good leads we're following. We're hoping to catch a break on this."

LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore, the Valley's highest-ranking law enforcement officer, said every available officer was on the hunt.

"What these two individuals need to do is surrender," Moore said of the suspects. "What we need are friends of these two to help.

"These people committed a heinous act, and we need to catch them."

Busby had been counting tips half an hour before closing time at the club when she was called outside and attacked on the sidewalk, police said.

She managed to scramble back inside the club at 18454 Oxnard St., where employees snuffed the flames with curtains.

The day before she was burned, friends said, Busby might have found a 9-to-5 job at an aerospace company that would have ended her exotic dancing.

She had only recently returned to dancing full time after losing her job as a bill collector.

"She was the happiest I've ever seen her - she was glowing,"
said a dancer who worked with her that night at the Babes N' Beer Sports Bar.

On Friday, those who knew her recalled the young beauty and single mom.

Gary Anderson, who worked with Busby in the purchasing department at PSI Bearings in Simi Valley two years ago, called her "our girl Friday."

"She's got a good heart," he said. "She's just young. And she's highly intelligent; she can really get stuff done. I don't consider her a stripper."

A charity was established Friday for the benefit of her children at Washington Mutual in the name of Rodrigo Busby. Friends and family made preparations for a prayer vigil.

Meanwhile, Councilman Dennis Zine has launched an investigation on why the Frisky Kitty, a strip bar with a checkered past at that location that was closed after a nearly decade-long legal battle, was permitted to reopen last year as an adult bikini club.

At the time of Thursday's assault, there was a warrant out for Theriault-Odom's arrest, according to court records.

Court records show that she had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor burglary charge in November 2005. She agreed to perform 80 hours of community service and pay $300 restitution. She did neither, and in June 2008 a warrant was issued for her arrest.

Petrillo also had a March 2007 drug conviction and a December 2006 credit card fraud conviction.

Detective Louis Zorrilla of the Robbery-Homicide Division's Special Section, which focuses
on the highest-profile cases, said Petrillo was believed to have been squatting at friends' houses recently.

Petrillo, also known as Duce, had once worked at the club as a disc jockey, Zorrilla said.

Zorrilla said Theriault-Odom had applied for a job at Babes N' Beer, but was denied employment.

Police said the investigation into Busby's burns was hampered without knowledge of a motive.

"Absolutely zero idea as for a motive," Zorilla said. "Knowing that would help lead us to where the suspects might be."

Busby's friends said she'll never be the same.

"She will never be the same Roberta we know," said a longtime friend. "Right now, we're just praying for her life."