Martha does more time
2005-08-04 12:55
New York - Martha Stewart's release from home confinement and her electronic anklet has been delayed three weeks to the end of the month, her lawyer said.
Attorney Walter Dellinger said in a one-sentence letter that the home-and-hearth marketing queen "has agreed to an extension of the terms of her home confinement until August 31".
Those conditions include staying inside her home north of New York City except for 48 hours a week of employment, food shopping, doctor appointments and church. And Stewart must always wear the anklet, about which she has repeatedly complained, saying it irritates her skin.
"I am not allowed to take it off at any time, and I am not allowed, while in my home, to have any padding under the strap," she once told fans during an internet chat. "I hope none of you ever has to wear one."
Stewart even boasted once that she had learned from the internet how to remove the transmitter, although probation officials said she never did.
It wasn't revealed what Stewart did to earn the extra three weeks of confinement. Dellinger's assistant, Ann Kienlen, said he would not elaborate beyond his one-sentence announcement.
The chief US probation officer in New York, Chris Stanton, would not confirm or deny the extension of Stewart's confinement.
Stewart's company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc, issued a brief statement saying it "will be so happy to have Martha working without restriction at the end of the month".
The New York Post reported on Sunday that Stewart was seen riding an off-road vehicle on her estate and attended a yoga class nearby. Stanton would not say if those were probation violations or if they constituted part of her employment.
Stewart's release from the anklet and home confinement had been expected on August 10.
- AP