Alabama woman arrested for kidnapping hoax claiming child on side of highway was used as 'bait'

The Alabama woman who claimed to have been kidnapped after seeing a child on the side of the highway was charged with calling in a hoax to police on Friday.

Carlee Russell made national headlines when she appeared on the doorstep of her family's home two days after disappearing in a dramatic incident reportedly involving a child being used as a "lure." She later admitted that she had made up the story.

Hoover police chief Nick Derzis announced in a media briefing that Russell had been arrested and charged with making false statements to police.

"Her decisions that night created panic and alarm for the citizens of our city, and even across the nation, as the concern grew that a kidnapper was on the loose, using a small child as bait," said Derzis.

"Numerous law enforcement agencies, both local and federal, began working tirelessly, not only to bring Carlee home to her family but locate her kidnapper, that we know now never existed. Many private citizens volunteered their time and energy in looking for a potential kidnapping victim that we know now was never in any danger," he added.

Derzis said that Russell was charged with falsely reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. Both are misdemeanors that carry a sentence of up to one year in jail and a potential fine of $6,000 upon conviction.

He added that Russell turned herself in and was booked into the Hoover City Jail before posting her bond and being released.

Officials said they had no information about where Russell was during the time she claimed she had been kidnapped.

Derzis said that he was frustrated she was only charged with misdemeanors but explained that existing laws only allowed the charges that were filed against her. He added that he would petition the state's legislature to pass laws to add further punishments for hoax calls like the one Russell made.

Some on social media had skepticism about the case from the beginning after video from the night of Russell's alleged kidnapping showed her car driving for several hundred feet before stopping on the side of the road but no child anywhere to be seen.

A human trafficking expert also said that those involved in trafficking don't generally kidnap their victims because it brings pressure from the community and law enforcement. Instead, traffickers often target their own family members or people with whom they are in an intimate relationship already.

Here's more about kidnapping hoax charges:

Alabama police charge Carlee Russell with 2 misdemeanors over 'hoax' kidnapping | ABCNLwww.youtube.com

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!