Casey Anthony Unemployed, in Hiding Since Release, and Facing $500K Costs Charge
Casey Anthony had her first monthly probation visit late last week as she serves one year probation for check fraud. According to reports released from her probation officers Anthony is currently unemployed, and has not taken any drugs or alcohol in the last month.
A spokesman for the Florida Department of Corrections where Anthony reported for probation at 6 p.m. on Thursday said, “She was cooperative and answered all the questions of her probation officer.”
Since Anthony was acquitted of the murder of her daughter Caylee, she has been a constant feature in the news. Recently it was decided that she must serve one year probation for check fraud following a mistake in original court documents, in an incident unrelated to her murder trial. Also currently a judge is deciding whether she should be made to pay $517,000 in costs for the investigation to find her missing daughter.
During last week’s probation visit, Anthony told officers that she had not attended any classes in the previous 30 days, and had not purchased any illegal drugs or had any contact with law enforcement over the same period.
In court, one of Anthony’s lawyers was desperately trying to fight for an end to the continuous hounding of his client in the courts. Defense attorney Cheney Mason argued at a court hearing against her having to pay back $517,000 for the investigation into her daughter’s disappearance: “I think it is time [prosecutors] accept the fact that they lost this case.”
He added: “It has to do with outrage. It has to do with sour grapes.”
However, prosecutors have the support of the general public opinion which argues that the state would never have incurred the massive expense of a three-year investigation into Caylee’s disappearance, and subsequent trial of Anthony, had the mother simply told the truth from the start.
When two-year-old Caylee was initially reported missing, Casey Anthony lied to investigators and accused the nanny of kidnapping her daughter. That accusation sparked a nationwide hunt for the missing toddler.
Caylee’s decomposed body was later found in the woods near the family home. When Casey Anthony was put on trial for the murder of her daughter, her defense team suddenly switched stories and claimed that the little girl had drowned by accident in the family’s swimming pool.
The state now wants to recoup the costs of investigating the false kidnapping claims Anthony initially made. Judge Belvin Perry is hearing the latest saga in the Casey Anthony story, and he is expected to hand down a judgment by September 22.
Anthony was later acquitted on charges of murdering her daughter, however was convicted on other charges.
Anthony did not appear at the latest hearing on whether she will have to repay costs. She is reportedly living in an undisclosed location to keep her safe from thousands angry at her acquittal.