Carlee Russell dubbed 'spoiled brat' as her jail time is suspended after guilty plea for faking abduction

HOOVER,  ALABAMA: A woman who admitted to fabricating a kidnapping story, has entered a plea of guilty to criminal charges stemming from the hoax that triggered a nationwide search last summer.

Carlee Russell appeared in Jefferson County Circuit Court on Thursday afternoon, March 21 where she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts for filing a false police report.

She is slated to undergo supervised probation for a year, during which she must reimburse nearly $18,000 to the city of Hoover and fulfill 100 hours of community service.

According to NBC News, Russell is obligated to continue her mental health counseling as a stipulation for her probation.

What happened in the courtroom?

Judge David Carpenter opted to suspend Russell’s two six-month sentences, remarking that incarcerating her would be an inefficient allocation of government resources.

Russell addressed the court for the first time, expressing contrition for her actions, "I want to genuinely apologize for my actions and the resulting negative impact inflicted onto others. I made a grave mistake while trying to fight through various emotional issues and stress."

She stated, "I’m extremely remorseful for the panic, fear and various range of negative emotions that were experienced across the nation."

She added, "I want to specifically acknowledge and take accountability for the pain and embarrassment that I inflicted upon my family, my church family, friends, neighbors, community and all of those who were directly involved in search efforts for me."

A review hearing is set for Oct 16 to assess the amount of restitution paid and the completion of community service hours.

Attorney Emory Anthony remarked following the hearing, "We want to thank Judge Carpenter for doing what we think all judges should do with a Class A misdemeanor first offense."

He added, "Carlee apologized to the communities, to Hoover, to the volunteers for her actions. I hope that we will accept that and move on and allow her to live her live."

What did Carlee Russell do?

On July 13, Carlee Russell, a nursing student, dialed 911 to report a child sighting on the interstate in Hoover, approximately 10 miles south of Birmingham. Following the call, she vanished.

Shortly after, police located her vehicle along with her belongings.

After nearly two days of extensive search operations and widespread media coverage of her case, Russell reappeared at her residence. She informed police that she had been forcibly taken into a vehicle and abducted, but managed to escape her captors and make her way home.

Subsequently, law enforcement announced their inability to corroborate most of Russell's assertions regarding the purported kidnapping, including her claims of being taken to a residence where she was coerced into disrobing while being photographed nude by a man and a woman.

Investigations into Russell's mobile phone revealed internet searches for topics such as "if you have to pay for an Amber Alert," one-way ticket prices from Birmingham to Nashville, Tennessee, and the movie "Taken," which revolves around an abduction storyline.

On July 24, Russell's attorney issued a statement acknowledging her admission that she had not witnessed a toddler walking along the highway and that she had fabricated the kidnapping story.

Russell was convicted of misdemeanor charges in municipal court in October. Despite the judge's recommendation of a one-year prison term, her legal team filed an appeal prior to the verdict.

Internet slams judge's decision after Carlee Russell's jail sentence is revoked

Following Carlee Russell's admission of guilt regarding her own abduction, her jail sentence was revoked, and she was directed to pay $18K in restitution. This decision has sparked criticism from numerous Internet users.

One user claimed, "She needed some jail time!"

Another fumed at the decision, writing, "Of course she won’t!! She’s above the law b/c she comes from a family with money which is sad & pathetic!!!! $18,000 in restitution is an absolute joke as millions of valuable tax dollars were spent on her lies!!!"

Meanwhile, someone else commented, "This is exactly why people keep doing the wrong thing. She should have had jail time. Judges are not being stern enough." 

A fourth claimed, "Entitled! I knew this was going to happen. She'll never learn a lesson... she's a spoiled brat.  She was looking for attention and she sure got it. Hopefully her parents at least learned an expensive lesson."

Another user claimed, "That's ridiculous!!"

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.