A hearing has been set for an Alabama woman. She was 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 either nation. However, 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 by 21st of March. The document did not specify whether she will plead guilty or not. Her attorneys appealed her case to circuit court after a municipal judge, in an October ruling. This 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. This was a guilty decision is entered and the case moves up to circuit court.
She disappeared July 13 after calling 911 to report a toddler beside a stretch of Interstate 459 in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover. Much later, 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. Russell’s attorney issued a statement through police acknowledging there was no kidnapping and that she never saw a toddler. Russell confirmed that she apologised 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. However, this was despite the panic and disruption she caused. He said the law did not allow for enhanced charges.