HOOVER, ALABAMA: Carlee Russell, who admitted to faking her kidnap, is now slapped with charges and was seen smiling in her mugshot after she was arrested. On Friday, July 28, the nursing student was charged with one count of falsely reporting an incident after she was reported missing on July 13 and one count of false reporting to law enforcement.
Both misdemeanor charges carry two years total in prison and $6,000 in fines. At the press conference held on Friday, Hoover Police Chief Nick Gerzis said Russell who also worked as a spa therapist turned herself in with her lawyer Emory Anthony, reported Daily Mail.
Where is Carlee Russell being held?
Russell turned herself in at Hoover City Jail. Gerviz stated that the 26-year-old was booked and after she posted a $2,000 bond, Russell was released. Attorney General Steve Marshall talked about the investigation and said, "We don’t see this as a victimless crime," and noted the "significant hours spent" and "resources expended" during the 49-hour search for Russell. "We intend to fully prosecute this case, and look forward to working with the Hoover Police Department moving forward," Marshall concluded.
Russell previously apologized for the abduction hoax
The Alabama woman was reported missing on July 13 and returned home two days later. On Monday, July 24, Russell confessed that she made up the entire abduction story. "There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13. Carlee again asks for your forgiveness and prayers," read her statement prepared by her attorney.
Russell was reported missing from Interstate 459 in Hoover. She vanished after she called the cops to say that she saw a young boy standing alone on the side of the road. "Hi, I am on Interstate 459 and there just a kid just walking by themselves [sic]," Russell told the officer in the 911 call. She then called her relative but the call went silent and she disappeared. Two days later, the 26-year-old re-emerged.
Surveillance footage showed her walking alone toward her house and police arrived at her house after her family called 911. Though dispatch reports stated Russell was "unresponsive but breathing," police who arrived at her home found the woman " conscious and speaking."
Police revealed her suspicious internet searches before she was reported missing. The bizarre searches included Amber Alert cost, kidnap revenge thriller 'Taken', 'How to take money from a Register without being caught,' and the cost of bus tickets to Nashville which led the police into believing Russell's abduction was planned.
