Hoover Police Department
Carlee Russell is staring down the possibility of a year behind bars after cops in Hoover, Alabama, slapped her with charges for faking her kidnapping and lying to cops.
Russell, 25, turned herself into cops on Friday and immediately bonded out, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said in a press conference. She faces two misdemeanor charges that carry up to a year in prison and $6,000 in fines if convicted.
Derzis said he was disappointed cops couldn’t hit Russell with more serious charges, alleging she wasted the department’s resources, stoked fear in the community that a kidnapper was loose, and opened old wounds for families who actually had loved ones abducted.