Breaking down the charges facing Carlee Russell

WITH WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. I WANT TO GET TO SOME VIDEO THAT YOU’LL ONLY SEE HERE ON WVTM 13, CARLEE RUSSELL, LEAVING HER ATTORNEY’S OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. THIS JUST BEFORE POLICE ANNOUNCED CHARGES. IN THE INVESTIGATION, SHE TURNED HERSELF INTO THE HOOVER CITY JAIL EARLIER TODAY. EARLIER TODAY, HOOVER POLICE DETECTIVES OBTAINED WARRANTS FOR THE REST OF CARLEE RUSSELL THROUGH THE HOOVER MUNICIPAL COURT FOR HER ACTIONS RELATED TO FAKING HER KIDNAPING AND SUBSEQUENTLY MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS TO DETECTIVES AS THEY INVESTIGATED THIS CASE. WE HAVE LIVE TEAM COVERAGE. FIRST, LET’S GET TO WVTM 13, LISA CRANE TO BREAK DOWN EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. WELL, BRITTANY AND GUY CARLEE RUSSELL HAS OFFICIALLY NOW BEEN BEEN CHARGED WITH TWO MISDEMEANORS DEALING WITH MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS TO POLICE. AND THIS IS ALL IN THE CASE OF HER DISAPPEARANCE. NOW, IF SHE IS FOUND GUILTY ON THESE MISDEMEANOR CHARGES, HOOVER POLICE SAY IT COULD RESULT IN UP TO A YEAR IN JAIL AND A $6,000 FINE PER CHARGE. RUSSELL TURNED HERSELF IN AND WAS PROCESSED INTO HOOVER CITY JAIL EARLIER TODAY. SHE PAID HER $2,000 BOND TO BOND OUT OF JAIL. SHE DID THAT WITHIN AN HOUR. HOOVER POLICE CHIEF NICK NURSES SAYS ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, ADDING HER DECISIONS THAT NIGHT CREATED CONCERN AND PANIC ACROSS THE COUNTRY. MANY PRIVATE CITIZENS VOLUNTEERED THEIR TIME AND ENERGY INTO LOOKING FOR POTENTIAL KIDNAPING VICTIM THAT WE KNOW NOW WAS NEVER IN ANY DANGER. THE STORY OPENED WOUNDS FOR FAMILIES WHO LOVED ONES REALLY WERE VICTIMS OF KIDNAPINGS, SOME OF WHICH EVEN HELPED ORGANIZE SEARCHES IN HOPES THEY COULD FIND CARLY’S ALIVE SO HER FAMILY WOULD NOT EXPERIENCE THE PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT THEY FELT WHEN THEIR LOVED ONES NEVER RETURNED HOME. NOW, AS FAR AS THE MISDEMEANOR CHARGES AGAINST HER AND THE LACK OF SERIOUSNESS IN THOSE CHARGES, CHIEF DAVIS HAS SAID THAT’S SIMPLY ALL THEY COULD CHARGE HER WITH. IF HE WENT ON TO SAY HE WAS GOING TO BE CONTACTING STATE LAWMAKERS TO FIND OUT ABOUT CHANGING THE LAW TO FIX THAT PROBLEM, STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL IS GOING TO BE HANDLING THE PROSECUTION IN THIS CASE. AND I WANT TO BRING IN NOW WVTM 13, CHIP SCARBOROUGH. HE’S LIVE IN HOOVER AND SHIPP, I KNOW AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY, STEVE MARSHALL WAS THERE AND THAT GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION. YEAH. LISA, LEGAL EXPERTS TELL ME THIS IS A PRETTY RARE MOVE TO INVOLVE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE. BUT OF COURSE, THIS IS A PRETTY RARE CASE THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. NOW, THE HOOVER POLICE CHIEF SAYS HE ASKED ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHAL’S OFFICE TO STEP IN BECAUSE OF THE ATTENTION THIS CASE HAS RECEIVED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. MARSHALL CALLS THE WORK DONE BY THE HOOVER POLICE DEPARTMENT, QUOTE, MONUMENTAL. HE SAYS HIS OFFICE WILL NOW MOVE FORWARD WITH PUTTING TOGETHER A TEAM TO HANDLE THE CHARGES AGAINST CARLEE RUSSELL AND MARSHALL IS QUICK TO ADD THIS IS NOT A VICTIMLESS CRIME. AS HE PUT IT. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT HOURS SPENT, RESOURCES EXPENDED AS A RESULT OF THIS INVESTIGATION. AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THE MANY MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE CIVILIANS AT WAR. THOSE YELLOW VESTS ON A HOT AFTERNOON AND EVENING LOOKING FOR SOMEONE THEY THOUGHT WAS ABDUCTED AND TRYING TO BE OF ASSISTANCE. ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL STRESSING THAT HE INTENDS TO FULLY PROSECUTE THIS CASE. NOW, AS FOR HIS INVOLVEMENT, BIRMINGHAM TRIAL LAWYER TOMMY JAMES TELLS ME IT IS UNUSUAL FOR AN ATTORNEY GENERAL TO PROSECUTE MISDEMEANOR CHARGES. BUT HE ADDS, THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE. LIVE IN HOOVER THIS AFTERNOON, CHIP SCARBOROUGH WVTM 13. ALL RIGHT, CHIP, THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOW HERE IS HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT TODAY. POLICE SAY ON JULY 13TH, CARLEE RUSSELL CALLED 911 REPORTED SEEING A TODDLER WALKING ALONE NEXT TO INTERSTATE 459. CARLEE WASN’T HEARD FROM UNTIL SHE RETURNED HOME TWO DAYS LATER. LAST WEEK, POLICE UPDATED THEIR INVESTIGATION, INCLUDING THE SEARCH HISTORY FOUND ON CARLY’S PHONE AND COMPUTER. AND ON MONDAY, POLICE READ A STATEMENT FROM HER ATTORNEY IN WHICH SHE ADMITTED IT WAS ALL A HOAX. SHE MADE IT ALL UP. NOW, AS FAR AS WHAT’S NEXT IN THIS CASE, WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR COURT DATE FOR THOSE MISDEMEANOR CHARGES. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT COULD HAPPEN WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM, LISA CRANE WVTM 13. LISA, THANKS. THE WVTM 13 APP IS YOUR SOURCE TO FOLLOW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LEGAL PROCESS. NOW THAT CARLEE RUSSELL HAS BEEN CHARGED, SIGN UP F