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Carlee Russell continues to face consequences for staging her kidnapping in July.
That same month, she was charged with one count of false reporting to law enforcement and one count of falsely reporting an incident. The charges are classified as misdemeanors.
Russell ultimately pleaded not guilty. But on Wednesday, Judge Brad Bishop ruled there was enough evidence for a guilty verdict, per CBS 42.
The outlet reports that Judge Bishop ordered Carlee Russell to pay $831 for each charge — $1,662 total. She’s also responsible for $17,874 in restitution, per AL.com. Russell could be facing up to a year in jail for the charges, and prosecutors are reportedly insisting she serves at least six months.
Her attorney, Emory Anthony, tells CBS 42 that they have appealed the case while handling the situation with care for the sake of Carlee’s mental health.
“I think she understands what has happened. She has apologized. I know y’all said through me, but that’s not good enough. But she has apologized for what transpired. I don’t want her to have any type of breakdown or anything of that nature. So, we are handling her with kid gloves and trying to make sure her mental state is just fine,” Carlee’s attorney said.
The appeal means the case, handled in the Hoover municipal court this week, might play out in Bessemer Circuit Court next — if a request is granted. Though Carlee reportedly seeks to avoid jail time, Russell is not against paying the restitution, per her attorney.
The public has yet to hear directly from Carlee Russell. She has not made any public statements via video or taken any interviews that we know.
Russell skipped a second interview with police scheduled for July 25. Instead, she apologized via a statement that Attorney Anthony emailed to the police. Officials read the statement at their press conference, confirming the hoax kidnapping.
“My client has given me permission to make the following statement on her behalf. There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13, 2023. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road, my client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client did not have any help in this incident. This was a single act done by herself. My client was not with anyone or at any hotel with anyone during the time she was missing. My client apologizes for her actions to this community. The volunteers who were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies as well, as to her friends and family. We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and attempts to move forward, understanding that she made a mistake in this matter. Carlee again asks for your forgiveness and prayers.”
Alabama law enforcement brought charges against the Hoover resident days after she admitted to the hoax in late July.
Russell sparked national outcry and extensive, multi-agency search parties and investigations when she seemingly disappeared from the side of the road on July 13th. She had reported a nude toddler walking alone on Highway I-459 to local 911 dispatchers. Shortly after the call, Carlee Russell “disappeared” and was missing for 49 hours before returning home alone and barefoot. At the staged crime scene, police recovered Carlee’s wig and her cell phone.
Further investigation later revealed that Carlee Russell had made a pit stop at a Target and purchased snack-like items on the night of her disappearance. Those snacks were not found at the scene.
Additionally, her internet searches before the hoax included information about Amber Alerts, the film “Taken,” and bus tickets from Birmingham to Nashville for July 13.
Carlee’s motivation behind the faked kidnapping remains unknown — though folks online have speculated that alleged issues with her ex-boyfriend, Thomar Simmons, influenced the hoax.
However, Thomar has repeatedly denied any involvement. After news that she admitted to the hoax spread, he released a statement saying her actions created “hurt, confusion and dishonesty.”
Then, in a September-released video, he denied they had any significant issues before she temporarily vanished. He did admit to having “a lil argument” but was adamant that it was “nothing to kidnap yourself over.”
“I was in the heat looking for my girl bro. Why would I do this for clout? Why would I do all that and do this for clout? I don’t understand what people be talking ’bout, people are crazy. People don’t think about me and how I’m feeling about the situation though, like, that really traumatized me,” Simmons said.
Simmons added that they have not spoken since she returned home because she had “plenty of time” to tell him the truth and hasn’t. As of Thursday, he has not publicly commented on his ex-girlfriend’s guilty verdict.
