1990 Ford Escort Parking brake Stuck

[frafreg]

I noticed that the parking brake handle would not come back down all the way and the car will barely move because the brakes are partially engaged. I plan on removing the rear wheels to see what is causing problem but before I remove the rear wheels, I thought I would ask if someone has an easier or quicker method of freeing the brakes and maybe correcting the problem without too much work. Thanks in advance!