Carlee Russell, the Alabama nursing student who said she was kidnapped, was charged with two misdemeanors in connection with the hoax, Hoover police announced Friday.
Hoover Police Department
Carlee Russell, the Alabama nursing student who went missing for two days after telling 911 she found a stranded toddler, has been charged with two misdemeanors in connection with the hoax, according to police.
The 25-year-old is being charged with falsely reporting to law enforcement officers and falsely reporting an incident, Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis told reporters Friday in a news conference.
Both charges carried a bond of $1,000 each and are punishable by up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine, Derzis said. Russell was later released from jail after posting 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.”
News of Russell’s charges comes days after she admitted she was not kidnapped and did not see a young child stranded on the side of the interstate.
In a statement given by Russell’s attorney to the Hoover Police Department earlier this week, Russell apologized for her actions — adding that no one else was involved in her disappearance.
“We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and attempts to move forward understanding that…
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