ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — Florida's attorney general says Casey Anthony should be forced to serve probation for check fraud now that she is out of jail.
Attorney General Pam Bondi's office filed a response Monday opposing Anthony's efforts to stop a probation order from being enforced.
READ: State's Response/ Excerpt Of Proceedings VIDEO REPORT: State Responds To Defense Request
Anthony was ordered earlier this month to serve a year of probation for check fraud. Her attorneys have appealed to the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Daytona Beach, saying she already served the sentence while in jail awaiting her murder trial.
If the order is upheld, Anthony has until noon Friday to report to the probation office.
Bondi's office told the court of appeal that probation is not a right, but a grace for "a second chance" to live by the law and that sentencing is not "a game in which a wrong move by the judge means immunity for the prisoner."
Circuit Judge Stan Strickland ordered Casey to serve one-year of probation if she ever was released after her murder trial, but the written order the department of corrections received did not include the words "after release." Therefore court of appeal is deciding whether Casey's one visit by a probation officer at the jail equals serving a year's probation.
"I think Fifth District Court of Appeals is going to place great weight on Supreme Court decisions that were cited by the attorney general's office. We're talking about constitutional principles and those principles have been passed on by the highest court in the land," said WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer.
Anthony was acquitted last month of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. She has kept a low profile since her release from jail, and her exact whereabouts have been a secret.
However, her attorney, Jose Baez, said that has returned to Florida.
Speaking Sunday on Fox News' "Geraldo at Large," Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, said she's in Florida and will report to a probation office if an appeal fails.
"We are going to follow the law wherever the courts follow the law and I am certain she will do what's asked of her if necessary, and hopefully it won't come to that," Baez said.
Anthony's legal team is concerned about her safety, given that she has received threats, and she is in a safe location, said Baez, although he wouldn't say where in Florida she was.
"This is someone who has a lot of figuring out of what is left of her life," Baez said.
Baez said Casey's only friends are associated with the defense team and that she's getting counseling.
Previous Stories: August 19, 2011: Casey Anthony's Car Crushed For Scrap Metal August 18, 2011: Bar Investigates Baez Over Casey Probation Issue August 18, 2011: Casey's Attorneys Appeal Probation Order Via Email August 16, 2011: Casey's Parents To Appear On Dr. Phil Show August 16, 2011: Report: Casey Attorney Denies Claims Of Book Deal August 12, 2011: Casey Ordered To Return To Orlando To Serve Probation August 11, 2011: DCF REPORT: Casey Anthony Failed To Protect Caylee August 10, 2011: Will Taxpayers Have To Pay Casey's Court Bills? August 10, 2011: Former Casey Atty. Denies Claims She Was At Calif. Estate August 5, 2011: Judge Delays Casey Probation Status, Calls Case "A Mess"
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