Alabama Woman Carlee Russell Avoids Jail Time After Pleading Guilty to Faking Kidnapping

Carlee Russell, the former Alabama nursing student who falsely reported her own kidnapping and seeing a stranded toddler, pleaded guilty to filing a false police report and was sentenced to 12 months of supervised probation, community service, and mental health counseling. She was ordered to pay nearly $18,000 in restitution and avoided jail time, with the judge stating that incarcerating her would be a "waste of government resources." Russell tearfully apologized in court and was also ordered to attend a review hearing in October.