Carlee Russell has been charged in connection to her kidnapping hoax.
On Friday (July 28), prosecutors in Hoover, Alabama charged the Alabama nursing student with two misdemeanors: falsely reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident, TMZ reports. Each misdemeanor charge carries up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine if convicted.
An arrest warrant was issued earlier today, and Russell surrendered to authorities shortly after, Hoover Police Chief Nicholas C. Derzis said in a news conference, per NBC News. Carlee was later released after posting a $2,000 bond.
“Her decisions that night created panic and alarm for the citizens of our city and even across the nation as concern grew that a kidnapper was on the loose using a small child as bait,” Derzis said. “The story opened wounds for families whose loved ones really were victims of kidnappings, some of which even helped organize searches.”
Russell disappeared earlier this month after calling 911 to report a child walking alone on the side of the highway. The 25-year-old previously claimed she was kidnapped after she got out of her vehicle to check on the child. She returned home on foot two days after her alleged abduction.
Following her return, Hoover police said they were unable to find any evidence of the child and couldn’t locate items Russell took from her job on the night of her disappearance. Authorities also revealed that Russell searched for information on Amber Alerts, bus stations, and how to take to money from a register “without getting caught” just before her disappearance.
Russell ultimately confessed that she made it all up in a statement from her attorney on Monday (July 24).
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