Alabama woman Carlee Russell ordered to pay nearly $18,000 in restitution for faking her own kidnapping last summer, gets probation

Carlee Russell, an Alabama woman who faked her own abduction last year, was sentenced on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Russell pleaded guilty in Jefferson County Circuit Court to two counts of misdemeanors, stemming from filing a false police report. She tearfully added:

"I made a grave mistake while trying to fight through various emotional issues and stress. I'm extremely remorseful for the panic, fear, and various range of negative emotions that were experienced across the nation."

Jefferson County Judge, David Carpenter, ordered Russell to pay nearly $18,000 in restitution to the city of Hoover and to complete 12 months of probation with 100 hours of community service. She will receive mental health counseling, as reported by Alabama Media Group.

In July 2023, 26-year-old Russell, a former nursing student, was believed to be missing after she told a 911 operator that she had found a toddler wandering on the side of an interstate. When cops arrived on the scene neither Russell nor the child were in sight.

The mysterious circumstances of her disappearance made national news and Hoover Police officials conducted a press conference to share updates on their investigation. However, Russell returned home 49 hours later.

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Judge Carpender remarked it would be a "waste of government resources" to jail Carlee Russell

During the 2023 press conference, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis stated that at the time of her alleged kidnapping, Carlee Russell told the 911 dispatcher she had found a baby in a diaper wandering on the highway. She then called a family friend who heard screaming before losing contact with Russell.

When law enforcement officers arrived on Interstate 459 in Hoover, minutes after the call, they found Russell's car, wig, and cell phone. But there was no sign of Russell or the baby. Local, state, and federal authorities and concerned community members began a search in the ensuing nationwide panic.

While it remains unclear why Carlee Russell faked her kidnapping, she walked home on July 15, 2023, that is, 49 hours after she went off-grid.

Carlee told Hoover police and detectives that she was taken by a man with orange hair and a bald spot. He "came out of the trees" along with a woman whom Russell could not see as she was blindfolded. The 26-year-old claimed she was forced into an 18-wheeler and the attacker made her remove her clothes and pose nude before she managed to escape.

Nine days after her return on July 24, 2023, Carlee admitted through a lawyer that the entire abduction, starting with the 911 call was a hoax.

At the time of sentencing, state prosecutor Clark Morris argued that Carlee Russell deserved jail time, despite the charges being only misdemeanors, stating:

"This case has always been about respect for law enforcement and respect for this community as a whole."

Judge Carpenter suspended Russel's two six-month sentences, stating it would be a "waste of government resources." He added:

"One of the most expensive things the government does is incarcerate people. We need to reserve our jail for people who are genuinely a threat to the community. Although we are very upset about what you've done, you're not a threat to the community."

Initially, Russell told the law enforcement officers she was abducted but later she revealed that she fabricated the story.

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No other statements about the case have been released. Carlee Russell is scheduled to attend a review hearing in October 2024 that will follow up on her restitution payment and community service.