What charges is Carlee Russell facing? Alabama cops 'pretty much knew' nursing student's kidnapping story was a lie
HOOVER, ALABAMA: Carlee Russell is reportedly expected to face charges for lying that she was kidnapped after police shared that they had doubts about her story from the beginning. Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said, as per The Independent, “It is what it is. The fact that I think last Wednesday pretty much showed that we knew that it was a hoax."
The nursing student went missing on July 13, leaving her family, friends and authorities worried. Soon a search operation was launched with many activists and people joining in the efforts to find her. On July 15, Russell returned home, giving rise to speculations that she had lied about the entire episode.
At the time, Rusell's mother, Talitha, issued a statement, saying, “We do want to ask for privacy at this time to allow us to just love on our daughter and each other with our close family and friends. Also, please consider the fact we have not slept for 3 nights and we are mentally and physically exhausted.”
‘This was a single act done by herself’
Russell's parents supported and defended her as people began accusing her of cooking up a wild story. However, this week, Russell admitted that she had lied. Her lawyer, Emery Anthony, reportedly said that her abduction story was not true. He said, “My client did not have any help in this incident. This was a single act done by herself. My client was not with anyone or any hotel with anyone from the time she was missing.”
“My client apologizes for her actions to this community, the volunteers who were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies as well, and to her friends and family,” Anthony added.
What charges is Carlee Russell facing?
As of now, Russell has not been charged, but chances are high that she will face legal consequences. Even her attorney reportedly said that the district attorney may soon file charges after he met with cops, and with them, he will “try to identify some things about where we go from here."
Former Washington DC homicide detective Ted Williams, told Fox News Digital that “the possibilities are high that she will be charged with some kind of a criminal offense. If nothing else, other than making a false report to law enforcement.”
“You must think about the amount of money that was used or to investigate this matter. And remember, the investigation is still ongoing. And so you're talking about using a lot of resources to investigate something that appears as of now to be a hoax,” Williams explained.
As per former FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam, Russell “should, at a minimum, be charged for all the costs of the investigation for basically manufacturing this entire thing, which is a felony. It's no different than making up a story that your daughter disappeared or that somebody disappeared and wasting the time and effort and money of law enforcement.”
Besides, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said, “She is likely going to be charged for filing a false police report and there is plenty of evidence against her. It is a pretty strong case. When law enforcement is wasting time, it is money and it is resources that could be devoted to actual victims of crime.”