Carlee Russell must pay $50 a month as her lawyer says she struggles to get compensation following kidnapping hoax

Carlee Russell, who pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges after her hoax kidnapping last year, was ordered to pay $50 a month toward her $18,000 restitution.

Russell, now 27, has made restitution payments, but in inconsistent amounts.

She has also completed more than 100 hours of required community service and continues to receive counseling.

Russell appeared before Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff Circuit Judge David Carpenter on Wednesday for a routine review of his case, and the judge set Russell’s payments at $50 per month.

His attorney, Emory Anthony, said Russell’s employment since his arrest has been sporadic, leading to inconsistencies in his restitution payments.

Another exam is planned for March.

In March, Russell pleaded guilty to making a false statement to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident.

“I made a big mistake trying to deal with various emotional issues and stress,” Russell said through tears as she addressed the judge during her plea hearing seven months ago.

“I absolutely regret my decision and, looking back, I wish I had called for help in a completely different way. My prayer is that I will receive extended grace and have the opportunity to redeem who I truly am and restore the positively valued character that I worked so hard to obtain during the 25 years of my life before this incident ” Russell said.

Read full coverage of the case here

Russell was sentenced to six months in county jail. However, those sentences were suspended and Russell was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $18,000.

The Alabama attorney general’s office had argued that Russell should be sentenced to prison — even if the charges were misdemeanors — even if it was only at night or on weekends.

Russell apparently disappeared on July 13, 2023, after calling 911 and a family member to report seeing a child, approximately 3 or 4 years old, wearing only a diaper, walking alone on I-459.

The family member reported hearing a scream, then only interstate noise over the open phone line.

Russell’s disappearance sparked a massive search and widespread concern.

Two days later, Russell showed up at her parents’ Hoover house alone. She was taken to UAB Hospital for evaluation.

While in the hospital, Russell told Hoover police that she escaped the clutches of a man and woman who kidnapped her.

Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said authorities were able to determine that Russell left her job at Woodhouse Day Spa — from which she was later fired — after taking a bathrobe, toilet paper and a small amount of money money.

She ordered food from Taziki at the Colonnade and went there. Carlee then went to Target on Highway 280 where she purchased granola bars, Cheez-its and a drink.

From there, she remained in the parking lot of that shopping center until 9:21 p.m., when she drove onto I-459.

Russell called 911 at 9:34 p.m. and reported seeing the child. After that, she called her brother’s girlfriend and it was during that conversation – around 9:36 p.m. – that she disappeared.

Police said no one else ever reported seeing a toddler on the highway.

Data from Russell’s phone, including her Life360 app, showed she drove about 600 yards in her vehicle while on the phone with 911 stating she was following the child.

When police arrived on scene, they found Russell’s wig, cell phone and purse on the road near her vehicle, and her Apple Watch was in her purse.

The food she ordered from Taziki was also still in her car. The items she purchased from Target, as well as those taken from her workplace, were not in the vehicle and were not found at the scene.

In her first interview after returning home, Russell told police she had been abducted from the side of I-459.

“She told detectives that while driving down the highway, she saw a baby walking on the side of the road and called 911. When she got out of her vehicle to check on the child, a man came out of the trees and muttered that he was watching the baby,” Derzis said at an earlier news conference.

“This man then picked her up and she screamed. He then made him cross a fence. He then forced her into a car and the next thing she remembers is being in the trailer of an 18-wheeler. She said the man was with a female, but she never saw the female, only hearing her voice. She also told detectives she could hear a baby crying,” Derzis said.

“She told detectives the man had orange hair with a large bald spot on his back. She managed to escape the 18-wheeler and fled on foot, only to be captured again and put into a car. She was then blindfolded, but she was not tied up because the kidnappers said they did not want to leave prints on her wrists,” Derzis said.

“She said they took her to a house and made her take off her clothes. She thinks they took photos of her, but she doesn’t remember them having any physical or sexual contact with her. She stated that the next day she woke up and the female gave her cheese crackers,” according to Derzis.

“She said the woman was also playing with her hair, but she didn’t remember anything else.

“At some point, she was put back into a vehicle that she claims she was able to escape from while in the west Hoover area. She told detectives she walked through numerous woods until she arrived near her residence,” the chief said.

“During this interview, detectives noted that Carlee had a small injury to her lip and she complained of a headache. She also had a tear in her shirt. Detectives also found that she had $107 in cash in her right sock.

Police were “unable to verify most of Carlee’s initial statements made to investigators,” Derzis said.

Russell never spoke to Hoover investigators again after this first interview.