The McCain campaign volunteer who caused a national stir by falsely claiming a supporter of Barack Obama carved a "B" into her face entered a probation program yesterday.

Ashley Todd, 21, of College Station, Texas, had her initial interview with a probation program for first-time offenders after she was formally arraigned on the charge of filing a false police report.

The College Republican National Committee volunteer told police Oct. 24 that she was mugged in Bloomfield by a 6-foot-4 black man who then became enraged at the John McCain bumper sticker on her car and returned to leave an Obama-themed mark.

She eventually confessed to cutting herself and fabricating the story. Ms. Todd was jailed for a week and, upon her release, ordered to undergo counseling as a condition for her entry into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program.

Her probation could last anywhere from six to 24 months, according to Allegheny County District Attorney spokesman Mike Manko.