Current:Home > ContactAlabama woman set for a plea hearing months after police say she faked her own kidnapping -Zenith Profit Hub
Alabama woman set for a plea hearing months after police say she faked her own kidnapping
View
Date:2025-04-14 22:47:54
BESSEMER, Ala. (AP) — A new plea hearing has been set for an Alabama woman accused of falsely telling police she was abducted last summer after stopping her car to check on a toddler wandering near a highway.
Carlee Russell’s two-day disappearance, and her story of being abducted, captivated the nation before police called her story a hoax.
Russell was scheduled for trial March 18, but a court document filed Thursday shows a plea hearing is now set for March 21. The document did not specify whether she will plead guilty.
Russell’s attorneys appealed her case to circuit court after a municipal judge, in an October ruling, found Russell guilty of misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. The ruling came after Russell’s attorneys agreed to “stipulate and appeal” — a procedure in which a defendant acknowledges evidence against them, a guilty decision is entered and the case moves up to circuit court.
Russell disappeared July 13 after calling 911 to report a toddler beside a stretch of Interstate 459 in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover. She returned home two days later and told police she had been abducted and forced into a vehicle.
Police quickly cast doubt on Russell’s story. Her attorney issued a statement through police acknowledging there was no kidnapping and that she never saw a toddler. In the statement, Russell apologized to law enforcement and the volunteers who searched for her.
Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis previously said he was frustrated that Russell was only being charged with two misdemeanors despite the panic and disruption she caused. He said the law did not allow for enhanced charges.
Alabama legislators this year are considering a bill that would enhance penalties for falsely reporting crimes.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- In 2021, climate ambitions soared and crashed in the U.S. and around the world
- The COP26 summit to fight climate change has started. Here's what to expect
- Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to go to China
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Indonesia raises volcano warning to second-highest level
- Manchin says Build Back Better's climate measures are risky. That's not true
- South Africa gas leak near Johannesburg leaves 16 dead, including 3 children
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Uganda's Vanessa Nakate says COP26 sidelines nations most affected by climate change
Ranking
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Get $141 Worth of Peter Thomas Roth Top-Selling Skincare Products for Just $39
- Dutch prime minister resigns after coalition, divided over migration, collapses
- Seville becomes the first major city in the world to categorize and name heat waves
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Amy Sedaris Talks Celebrity-Inspired Sandwiches and Her Kitchen Must-Haves
- Kate Middleton, Prince William and Their 3 Kids Match in Blue for Easter Church Service
- How Love Is Blind's Chelsea Reacted to Watching Micah and Kwame’s Pool Scene on TV
Recommendation
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Seville becomes the first major city in the world to categorize and name heat waves
A blizzard warning in Hawaii but no snow yet in Denver, in unusual December weather
Manchin's Holiday Gift To Fellow Dems: A Lump Of Coal On Climate Change
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to go to China
ABBA Guitarist Lasse Wellander Dead at 70 After Cancer Battle
NATO allies on Russia's border look to America for leadership as Putin seizes territory in Ukraine