Remember Carlee Russell, the Alabama nursing student who claimed she was kidnapped for 49 hours?

The 25-year-old returned home on July 15 and told police she had been abducted, taken by a male with orange hair and a woman.

 

 

She claimed she was forced into an 18-wheeler truck and taken to a home where a man and a woman told her to get undressed and then took photos of her.

 

 

Later she confessed it was a lie, after a massive manhunt.

Today she was charged with two misdemeanors in connection with the hoax, police announced Friday.

The charges carried a bond of $1,000 each and are punishable by up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine if convicted, the chief said. Russell was released from jail after posting bond.

Hoover Police Chief Nicholas C. Derzis explained:

“Her decisions that night created panic and alarm for the citizens of our city and even across the nation as concern grew that a kidnapper was on the loose using a small child as bait. The story opened wounds for families whose loved ones really were victims of kidnappings, some of which even helped organize searches.”