Casey Anthony, the Florida woman acquitted of murdering daughter Caylee, must emerge from hiding and return to Orlando, Fla., by Aug. 26, a judge ordered today.
Judge Belvin Perry issued a written order that Anthony, 25, must report to the Department of Corrections in two weeks to serve 1-year of supervised probation.
Anthony’s probation stems from a check fraud conviction in 2010. Prior to her first degree murder trial, Anthony pleaded guilty to stealing a checkbook from her best friend Amy Huizenga and writing five checks totaling $644.25, during the time that Caylee was missing.
The judge who presided over that case, Stan Strickland, ordered Anthony to serve 412 days in jail and a year’s probation when she was released from jail. An error was made on the written sentencing documents which allowed Anthony to serve her probation while in jail awaiting her murder trial.
Last month, Strickland filed an amended order demanding Anthony return to Florida to serve a year’s probation. Her defense attorneys claimed her probation had already been completed and filed for an emergency hearing on the matter.
During today’s hearing, Judge Perry said that Anthony should not have been allowed to serve her probation while in jail. He said at the time that the situation was a “legal morass” and he was unsure how to rule.
Casey Anthony, who has received death threats since her acquittal, has been in hiding since she left the Orange County Jail on July 17.
Judge Perry also ruled that the Florida Department of Corrections is authorized to keep her address confidential to safeguard her well-being.
The order to return to Florida follows the release of a report by Florida’s Department of Children and Families. They ruled that Anthony’s failure to protect Caylee contributed to the child’s death and that she harmed her daughter by failing to report her missing.
Caylee, 2, wasn’t reported missing until July 15, 2008, 31 days after she was last seen alive. It was Anthony’s mother, Cindy Anthony, that reported the toddler had disappeared.
“The Department of Children and Families concludes that the actions or lack of actions by the alleged perpetrator ultimately resulted or contributed in the death of the child,” the report reads.
The report also details Anthony’s cold demeanor when dealing with police and the Children and Families Services’ investigators. Anthony told the Orange County Sheriff’s Office that they were “trying to break me and make me confess to something I did not do,” according to the report. She also told child services that the police have “spent more time trying to find me guilty without any evidence than trying to find Caylee,” according to the report.
“The mother’s failure to act during those 31 days, ultimately resulted in her inability to protect the child from harm. In addition, this failure to protect delayed and interfered with a law enforcement investigation and best efforts to safely recover the child,” the report reads.
