Carlee Russell, the Alabama woman who lied about her kidnapping that led to a countrywide search, was sentenced on Thursday to a year of probation after pleading guilty to making a false police report and fraudulently reporting an incident to law authorities, according to WIAT.
Russell’s six-month suspended jail sentence includes probation, 100 hours of community service, and $18,000 in compensation to the city of Hoover.
Russell’s penalty follows her initial sentence of a year in jail in October 2023, after she was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts in the case. Russell entered a not-guilty plea during her court appearance at the time, and her lawyers announced that they will appeal the conviction.
Last year, Russell claimed she was kidnapped after seeing a baby on the road. But she later admitted to fabricating the story.
Russell was reported missing after she contacted 911 to report seeing a male toddler in a diaper walking on the side of I-459 South in Hoover, a Birmingham suburb. Russell had just finished her shift at the Woodhouse Day Spa in Summit and was on her way home when she noticed the child, according to her parents. She stopped her car to check on the youngster and called a family member, but her family lost contact with her despite the phone line remaining open, authorities said at the time.
Police arrived at the area but could not discover Russell or the toddler, only her car and stuff, including her phone. Her family and friends began looking for her and asking for assistance. Hoover police said they received a call days later informing them that Russell had returned home on foot. She informed the authorities that a man with orange hair kidnapped her and forced her to strip at a house while blindfolded.
Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis revealed that Russell conducted online searches before being reported missing. These searches included “do you have to pay for an Amber Alert” and “how to take money from a register without being caught.” She also looked up the movie “Taken,” which is about a kidnapped child.
Russell’s attorney declared during a news conference that she was not kidnapped and saw no child on Interstate 459.
“There were no kidnappings on Thursday, July 13, 2023. Russell’s attorney, Emory Anthony, stated that his client did not notice a baby on the side of the road. “My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person.”
In the statement, Russell also apologized to those who assisted in her quest. “My client apologizes for her acts in this town, to the volunteers who were looking for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies, as well as to her relatives and family. We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she deals with her concerns and moves forward, acknowledging that she made a mistake in this situation,” the statement said.