Jose Baez, left, and Cheney Mason, right, appear before Chief Judge Belvin Perry today. Photo credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
The issue of Casey Anthony?s probation is ?a legal maze,? ?a legal morass,? and a situation of everything going wrong, Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. said this morning.Perry didn?t decide whether Anthony had served probation for check fraud, as the Department of Corrections said she had. His decision is likely to come at the earliest on Wednesday, WESH-Channel 2 and WKMG-Channel 6 reported at noon.
Judge Stan Strickland had?amended his written order to correct a clerk?s mistake and make clear his intention that?Anthony must serve the probation after she left jail. But Strickland?recused himself from the case, and Perry stepped in.
Anthony?s attorneys have argued that she finished the probation while waiting in Orange County Jail to stand trial for murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee.? Anthony?was acquitted in the murder case July 5 and left jail?July 17.
At the check-fraud hearing, Perry confided, ?There are no clear-cut answers in this case. It?s a mess.?
WKMG and WOFL-Channel 35 carried the hearing this morning. Other stations streamed it online.
WKMG?s Mike DeForest was struck by Perry?s various descriptions of how things had gone wrong in the case. ?It looks like they?re treading some new ground legally,? DeForest said. ?He seems to side with the fact that what Judge Strickland said in open court takes precedence over what he wrote in the order, but some other issues to consider, including Casey Anthony?s safety.????
WOFL legal analyst Diana Tennis said Perry?s question is this: Did Anthony?s completing probation end the court?s jurisdiction to go for a do-over?
?If it?s too late, he?s going to say she?s already done it,? Tennis said. ?You could tell he?s really struggling?to try to find a probation that does not have to bring her back here and put her in danger, put corrections officers in danger, put our police on the street protecting her. I think whatever the result, I don?t see her coming back physically to Florida for a ?probationary period.? ?
What did you think?
WESH and WKMG highlighted that the State Attorney?s Office did take part after initially saying it had no position on the issue.??Prosecutor Frank George did end up advocating Judge Stan Strickland?s ability to clarify what were his wishes all along,? WESH?s Bob Kealing reported.
WKMG?s Tony Pipitone said the State Attorney?s Office decided to enter the legal maze ?despite for a week saying they would stay out of it and that they?didn?t really have a dog in this hunt.? Pipitone reported that the prosecutors had a meeting Thursday and their appearance today was based on??a reading of the law.?
?The law hasn?t changed, of course,?in a week, but apparently some opinions at the state attorney?s office did,? Pipitone said.?
Kealing reported that the defense team wouldn?t take questions after the hearing, but?Cheney Mason took a swipe at a microphone in his face.
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