Months after fabricating her abduction and making a false report to police, Alabama woman Carlee Russell is set to reappear in court.
Carlee Russell admitted guilt in court on Thursday in Jefferson County, to two misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident after calling 911.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Russell called 911 in July 2023, at around 9:30 p.m.. to report seeing a toddler walking along Interstate 459 in Hoover. Minutes later, she reported the same information while on a call with her sister-in-law, adding that she would stop to see if she could help.
Traffic camera footage showed Russell’s car, hazard lights blinking, slow to a stop near mile marker 11. The family member reported hearing Russell ask, “Are you OK,” but heard no response, and then Russell screamed.
Days later, at around 10:45 p.m., Russell arrived at her parents’ house in Hoover.
Police have no evidence of a toddler walking along the highway. No other calls to 911 reported a toddler, “despite numerous vehicles passing through that area as depicted by the traffic camera surveillance video.”
Police said Russell claimed she was kidnapped and forced into an 18-wheeler by a man with orange hair, and a woman. She claimed she fled on foot, only to be captured again, blindfolded, and put into a car.
It was all a ruse.
Rusell subsequently confessed through her lawyer, Emory Anthony, in October.
On Thursday, the judge rejected to have Russell jailed, opting instead for a one-year probation period, 100 hours of community service, and restitution.
In tears, Russell addressed the court, expressing remorse for the distress she had caused. Her family members were also visibly emotional as she delivered her statement, according to NBC 13.
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[Feature Photo via Hoover PD]
