July 28 (UPI) — Carlee Russell, the Alabama woman who falsely reported a child wandering near a freeway and then disappeared as though she had been kidnapped, was charged Friday with lying to police.
She was booked and released on two misdemeanor charges.
Hoover, Ala., Police Chief Nicholas Derzis announced the charges, along with Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, in a video press conference.
“Hoover police detectives obtained warrants for the arrest of Carlee Russell to the Hoover Municipal Court for her actions related to faking her kidnapping and subsequently making false statements to detectives as they investigated this case,” Derzis said.
He added, “Her decisions that night created panic and alarm for the citizens of our city and even across the nation as the concern grew that a kidnapper was on the loose using a small child as bait.”
Marshall said his office will appoint a dedicated team to assist local authorities in the prosecution of Russell.
“We don’t see this as a victimless crime,” Marshall said. “There are significant hours spent and resources expended as a result of this investigation. And not only that, but the many men and women who are civilians that wore those yellow vests on a hot afternoon and evening looking for someone they thought was abducted trying to be of assistance.”
Marshall said he intends to fully prosecute this case.
The charges against Russell are false reporting to law enforcement authorities, a Class A misdemeanor with a $1,000 bond, and falsely reporting an incident, also a Class A misdemeanor with a $1,000 bond.
If convicted, she faces up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine for each offense.
The only applicable charges, Derzis said, were misdemeanors.
He expressed frustration that she could only be charged with misdemeanors.