Well, well, well. Looky here... Ol’ Miss Carlee Russell, the Black woman who went viral for faking her kidnapping, has entered a guilty plea on charges in connection to the incident.
Russell had everybody and they mama and grandmamas searching the area of Hoover, Ala. over the summer after she mysteriously vanished. Police said she called 911 to report seeing a toddler in a diaper walking on the side of the interstate. Police arrived to her location to find her vehicle vacant with her belongings inside. The internet went into a frenzy trying to locate her yet some internet sleuths drew suspicions on whether she was actually missing.
When she reappeared home days later, she told the police she was kidnapped by a man with orange hair and a girl who used the toddler to bait her into a trailer where they abducted her. However, the public crew skeptical.
The following week, the Hoover Police Department held a press conference confirming through a statement by Russell’s attorney that the whole thing was a hoax. The motive? Girl, who even cares at this point?! Anyways, Russell was slapped with charges. Thursday, she waived her right to a trial.
Read more from AL.com:
Russell, 26, entered a blind plea to false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident. That meant Russell had no agreement in place stating what sentence the judge would hand down. A Hoover municipal judge in October had sentenced her to a year in the Jefferson County jail.
Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff Judge David Carpenter pointed out that although Russell alarmed the country, he believed it would be a waste of government resources to put her in jail because she is not a threat to the community.
Russell was sentenced to six months in county jail. However, those sentences were suspended. Russell was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $18,000. She must provide proof of mental health counseling.
In the courtroom, Russell gave her first public address after being dragged for absolute filth by the internet for her lies.
“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,” Russell said.
She’s due back in court in October to review how much more restitution she owes by that point and whether she finished her community service, per NBC’s report.