Current:Home > FinanceCarlee Russell pleads guilty and avoids jail time over fake kidnapping hoax, reports say-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Carlee Russell pleads guilty and avoids jail time over fake kidnapping hoax, reports say
View Date:2024-12-23 21:06:57
Alabama woman Carlee Russell will not face jail time after she pleaded guilty Thursday to falsely reporting her kidnapping last summer, multiple outlets reported.
Russell initially vanished on July 13 after calling police about a toddler on the side of the highway but returned home two days later. Later that month, she admitted through her attorney that she had fabricated the story.
Russell was charged with two misdemeanors: falsely reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. She was trying to appeal a conviction in a state trial but instead headed to a plea trial Thursday.
Appearing before the judge Thursday, she blindly plead guilty with no deal in place, AL.com reported.
“I made a grave mistake while trying to fight through various emotional issues and stress,” Russell told the judge, as AL.com reported. "I absolutely regret my decision and in hindsight wish I had cried for help in a totally different manner. My prayer is that I will be extended grace and be given the opportunity to redeem who I truly am and restore the positively esteemed character that I have worked so hard to obtain for the 25 years of my life prior to this incident."
She must pay nearly $18,000 in restitution and receive mental health counseling, but her six-month jail time sentence was suspended, according to AL.com.
The judge presiding over the case or Russell's attorney Emory Anthony did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for information.
Carlee Russell timeline:Everything that happened from her disappearance to admitting it was hoax
Carlee Russell kidnapping hoax
Russell initially went "missing" on July 13 after calling police from a Birmingham suburb to report “a male toddler in a diaper” on the side of Interstate 459 South, as previously reported by USA TODAY. She told the operator she was "stopping to check on him,” and then called a family friend to inform them of the situation.
The family friend heard her scream during the call and then lost contact with Russell. The Hoover Police Department arrived on the scene roughly five minutes later to find Russell's wig, cell phone and purse with an Apple Watch inside on the roadway near her empty vehicle. There was no sign of Russell or a child.
Police quickly launched a search for the woman, with local, state and federal authorities getting involved. The case drew national attention as people across the country kept up with news of the search.
Carlee Russell returns home, admits she wasn't kidnapped
Russell returned home on July 15 and allegedly "gave detectives her statement so that they can continue to pursue her abductor," Talitha Russell, Carlee's mother, told TODAY on July 18. Carlee's mother and father told reporters that their daughter had indeed been abducted and that the perpetrator was still at large.
Police continued to investigate until July 24, when police read a statement from Russell's lawyer at a press conference, confirming that Russell had never actually been missing. The statement said she acted alone in pulling off the deceit. She apologized to the community, searchers, police and her family for her "mistake."
"The sad thing is ... there were so many people that were involved ... took this thing very seriously," the statement read. "It is what it is."
Neither Russell nor her attorney have provided a public explanation for why she faked the abduction.
veryGood! (243)
Related
- RHOBH's Kyle Richards Addresses PK Kemsley Cheating Rumors in the Best Way Possible
- Kamala Harris says she intends to earn and win Democratic presidential nomination
- San Antonio church leaders train to serve as mental health counselors
- Pilot living her dream killed in crash after skydivers jump from plane near Niagara Falls
- Prosecutors say some erroneous evidence was given jurors at ex-Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial
- US census takers to conduct test runs in the South and West 4 years before 2030 count
- These are the most common jobs in each state in the US
- Katy Perry's 'Woman's World' isn't the feminist bop she promised. She's stuck in the past.
- West Virginia expands education savings account program for military families
- No one hurt when CSX locomotive derails and strikes residential garage in Niagara Falls
Ranking
- The boy was found in a ditch in Wisconsin in 1959. He was identified 65 years later.
- Trump, Ukraine's Zelenskyy speak by phone
- Jennifer Lopez Celebrates 55th Birthday at Bridgerton-Themed Party
- Armie Hammer says 'it was more like a scrape' regarding branding allegations
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
- Seven people wounded by gunfire during a large midnight gathering in Anderson, Indiana
- Charmed's Holly Marie Combs Reveals Shannen Doherty Promised to Haunt Her After Death
- 'Mind-boggling': Woman shoots baby in leg over $100 drug debt, police say
Recommendation
-
College Football Playoff snubs: Georgia among teams with beef after second rankings
-
The Best Flowy Clothes That Won’t Stick to Your Body in the Summer Heat
-
What is an open convention?
-
National bail fund returns to Georgia after judge says limits were arbitrary
-
Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 9 drawing: Jackpot rises to $92 million
-
US census takers to conduct test runs in the South and West 4 years before 2030 count
-
Powerball winning numbers for July 20 drawing: Jackpot now worth $102 million
-
Maine state trooper injured after cruiser rear-ended, hits vehicle he pulled over during traffic stop