Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, a woman who disappeared after claiming she was kidnapped, has been found guilty.
On July 28, Carlee Russell was charged with two misdemeanor counts — falsely reporting to police and falsely reporting an incident — after orchestrating a kidnapping hoax.
The 25-year-old nursing student appeared in Hoover, Ala., Municipal Court Wednesday afternoon after pleading not guilty. During her court appearance, Judge Thomas Brad Bishop found Russell guilty of both misdemeanor charges, NBC reported on the 15th.
Under Alabama law, Russell could face up to one year in prison, six months on each charge, plus an $831 fine, as well as an estimated $17,974.88 in restitution, WBRC reported.
After Wednesday’s ruling, Russell’s legal team, led by attorney Emory Anthony, said they would appeal the case to district court, where it will be heard again by a jury.
Inside the Carlee Russell case: What happened to the woman who disappeared after she called 911 to report her child missing?
On July 13, Russell reported to 911 that she saw a child just walking along Interstate 459. After police responded to the 911 call, they found Russell’s car on the side of I-459 with her phone left behind.
As a result, the department launched a statewide search for the presumed missing person and offered a $60,000 reward for her return, according to AL.com.
Forty-nine hours later, Russell returned late on the evening of July 15 to her parents’ home in Alabama. The Russell family called the police after her reappearance, and authorities soon arrived at the home.
Carlee Nichole Russell.
Hoover (AL) Police Department.
In the days following her reappearance, Russell’s family released several statements on social media and gave numerous interviews supporting the 25-year-old’s claim that she had been abducted. However, when asked for further details, Russell’s family could not elaborate further due to the ongoing investigation.
During the investigation, Derzis said authorities were “unable to verify” Russell’s claims and shared that Russell had been behaving “strangely” before her disappearance, including unusual online activity.
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Her internet searches included questions about “whether or not you have to pay for an Amber Alert,” what is the maximum age for an Amber Alert, the phrase “how to take money from the register without getting caught,” and searches for the movie Enterprises and the sale of a one-way bus ticket from Birmingham, Ala. to Nashville, Tenn., scheduled for the night she disappeared.
The following week, on July 24, Russell released a statement with her attorney admitting that she had staged the kidnapping. Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis shared the recognition on behalf of Russell’s attorney during a press conference.
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Carlee Russell.
Hoover Police Department/Twitter
“There was no abduction on Thursday, July 13th. My client did not see the baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client did not have any assistance in this incident, that it was one act that she did it herself,” wrote Anthony.
“My client was not with anyone or [at] in any hotel with anyone from the time she disappeared,” Anthony continued. “My client apologizes for her actions to this community, the volunteers who searched for her, the Hoover Police Department and other agencies, as well as her friends and family.”
On Friday, July 28, Russell turned herself in to police and was later released. She was then reported for those two violations.
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As a result of admitting he orchestrated the disappearance, Derzis shared his frustration that Russell was charged with misdemeanors rather than felonies. “I share the frustration, but the existing laws only allow for the 2 indictments that have been filed,” he said. “Her decisions that night created panic and alarm for the citizens of our city and even the entire nation.”
Derzis added: “The story opened up the wounds of the families of loved ones who were really victims of the kidnapping, some of whom even helped organize the search in the hope that Carlee would be found alive, so that their family would not feel the pain and suffering that they felt when their beloved they never came home.”
Hoover Municipal Court and attorney Emory Anthony did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
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Source: HIS Education