Judge: Casey Anthony must serve year’s probation in Fla.

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla.

Casey Anthony must return to Orlando within two weeks to serve a year’s probation for check fraud, a Florida judge ruled Friday.

Judge Belvin Perry said that Anthony must follow an order issued by another judge and report to a probation officer in Orange County no later than Aug. 26 at noon, although she could report earlier.

The other judge, Stan Strickland, had sentenced Anthony in January 2010 to one year of probation after she pleaded guilty to stealing checks from a friend. He said Anthony should serve the probation upon her release, but those instructions never made it to a written order. Corrections officials interpreted the sentence to mean Anthony could serve the probation while she was in jail awaiting her murder trial.

Strickland clarified in an order last week that Anthony needs to start serving probation now that she is out of jail. Strickland later recused himself and turned the case over to Perry, who presided over the murder trial that ended last month with Anthony’s acquittal in her daughter’s death.

Perry put the probation order on hold temporarily and heard arguments last week from Anthony’s attorneys.

Anthony has been out of the public eye since she was acquitted in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.