HOOVER, Ala. — An Alabama woman accused of falsely telling police she was abducted after stopping to check on a toddler wandering along the highway is appealing her municipal court conviction in an effort to avoid a yearlong jail sentence sought by prosecutors.
A municipal judge on Wednesday found Carlee Russell, 26, guilty of misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. The guilty judgement came after Russell's attorneys agreed to "stipulate and appeal" the case — a legal maneuver to move the case to circuit court where proceedings will start anew.
Russell's summer disappearance — and her story of being abducted after stopping her car to check on the child — captivated the nation before police called it a hoax.
