Alabama woman set for a plea hearing months after police say she faked her own kidnapping

BESSEMER, Ala. — A new plea has been filed for an Alabama woman accused of falsely telling police she was kidnapped last summer after stopping her car to check on a toddler wandering along a highway.

Carlee Russell’s two-day disappearance and her kidnapping story captivated the nation before police called her story a hoax.

Russell was scheduled to stand trial on March 18, but a court document filed Thursday shows a plea will now take place on March 21. The document does not specify whether she will plead guilty.

Russell’s attorneys appealed her case to the state court after a municipal judge found Russell guilty of charges of making a false report to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident in an October ruling. The ruling came after Russell’s lawyers agreed to “stipulate and appeal” – a procedure in which a defendant admits evidence against him, a guilty verdict is made and the case is taken to court.

Russell disappeared on July 13 after calling 911 to report a toddler next to a stretch of Interstate 459 in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover. Two days later, she returned home and told police she had been kidnapped and forced into a car.

Police soon doubted Russell’s story. Her lawyer issued a statement through the police in which she acknowledged that there was no kidnapping and that she had never seen a toddler. In the statement, Russell apologized to police and volunteers who searched for her.

Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis previously said he was frustrated that Russell was only charged with two crimes, despite the panic and disruption she caused. He said the law does not allow higher costs.

Alabama lawmakers are considering a bill this year that would toughen penalties for falsely reporting crimes.