ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange Circuit Judge Stan Strickland
signed amended court documents Monday that he says will have the effect
of requiring Casey Anthony to serve one year of supervised probation as
he originally intended back when he sentenced her in her check fraud
case.
“From my reading of this, she should be reporting to
probation in Orlando probably within 72 hours,” Strickland said Monday
morning. “I suspect she’s going to be required to report to probation.”
Meanwhile, Department of Corrections spokeswoman
Gretl Plessinger confirmed that her department is reaching out to
Anthony’s attorneys about having her report to probation.
“We’re in contact with Casey Anthony’s attorneys to set up her first report visit,” Plessinger said.
According to the revised court order, she will have to report in person within 72 hours, Plessinger said.
Confusion lingered late last week over whether
Anthony should have to serve a year of probation in her check-fraud case
now that she is out of jail.
Strickland said Thursday that his intention in
sentencing Anthony last year was that she should go on supervised
probation if released from custody. But state Department of Corrections
officials interpreted Strickland’s order as meaning that Casey Anthony
could serve her probation while still in jail awaiting trial in
connection with the 2008 death of her daughter Caylee Marie.
The Department of Corrections terminated Anthony’s
probation on Jan. 24. And Anthony, 25, left the Orange County Jail on
July 17 with no restrictions following her acquittal at trial in the
murder case last month.
On Friday, Plessinger said the Department would apply supervised probation if the court issued an amended order.
The Orange County Clerk of Courts office confirmed
Friday that it was working to amend the wording in one of Anthony’s
sentencing documents to more accurately reflect Strickland’s intentions.
That document, commonly referred to as the minutes,
lacked the specific wording “upon release,” said Leesa Bainbridge, the
clerk’s office spokeswoman.
That document was amended and Strickland signed it Monday.
It’s likely Casey Anthony’s defense team will
challenge this turn of events and say that Anthony should not serve
probation because she already did that while in jail. An argument
claiming “double jeopardy” is expected.
If that happens, the defense would have to make that
legal argument before Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry in some
kind of emergency hearing.
Members of Anthony’s defense team could not be immediately reached for comment.
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