The 26-year-old nursing student whose bogus abduction plot made national headlines earlier this year was found guilty on two misdemeanor counts by a judge during a municipal court hearing on Wednesday.
Despite having confessed to Alabama authorities in July that she had fabricated the story of her kidnapping, Carlee Russell pleaded not guilty to charges of false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident at the hearing. Russell “fidgeted nervously,” while entering her plea, according to AL.com.
Judge Brad Bishop then found her guilty, recommending that she serve no more than a year behind bars and pay $17,874 in restitution. Bishop also recommended she pay just under $1,700 in fines.
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The judge’s conviction in municipal court, where a jury trial is not guaranteed, was largely a procedural step to kickstart an appeals process, potentially sending the case to a circuit court, where Russell will have the right to face a jury.
A spokesperson for the Alabama Attorney General’s Office told USA Today that Bishop’s decision wouldn’t affect any proceedings against Russell in circuit court. Should she be found guilty in the higher court, she will be subjected to a separate sentencing process, the spokesperson said.
Russell’s attorney, Emory Anthony, said that an appeal had been filed in her case on Wednesday afternoon, and that she remains out of jail. “This was the option that we had to take because we do not agree with her serving any time in jail,” he told USA Today.
He told reporters after Wednesday’s hearing that Russell, a first-time offender, did not deserve to serve any jail time for misdemeanor charges. “Restitution, we don’t disagree with that, but to lock her up and put her in jail, we disagree,” he added.
AL.com reported that Anthony declined to share more information on Russell’s motives for concocting the fake kidnapping scheme. “We’re dealing with issues with Carlee, and we want the best for Carlee,’’ he explained. “We realize a mistake was made but we don’t want to just pile on right now.”
It is not immediately clear if Russell would face further charges. In late July, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis acknowledged that many, himself included, were “shocked and appalled” that the 26-year-old was “only being charged with two misdemeanors.”
A sprawling search effort sparked after Russell vanished on July 13 ended when the student walked into her home two days later, claiming she’d been forced into a vehicle and abducted after seeing a toddler walking alone along a highway.
Authorities soon issued an arrest warrant for Russell in the investigation, saying evidence had been uncovered that she’d Googled information about AMBER alerts, one-way bus tickets, and the movie Taken.
Russell eventually turned herself in at the Hoover City Jail, and was released after posting bond.
Details on where exactly she was and what she was doing during her 49-hour disappearance remain murky. Asked by reporters on Wednesday about his client’s timeline, Anthony said, “I think you’ll have to ask the AG’s office.”
“... They know the young lady was not off on a whim,” he continued. “They knew the young lady was not off with some young man. So they know that.”
