'She's asking for forgiveness': Carlee Russell's attorney on the charges she now faces

WE’LL TALK ALL ABOUT THAT IN A FEW MINUTES. BACK TO YOU, ADRIAN, THANK YOU. WE ARE CONTINUING OUR COVERAGE OF THE CARLEE RUSSELL CASE, WVTM 13 HAS TEAM COVERAGE FOR YOU TONIGHT FOLLOWING RUSSELL’S RELEASE FROM JAIL. CHIP SCARBOROUGH RO IS STANDING BY FOR US IN HOOVER THIS AFTERNOON. WE BEGIN WITH WVTM 13. LISA CRANE LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM. CARLEE BONDED OUT EARLIER TODAY, BUT THIS CASE IS FAR FROM OVER. LISA. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT. GUY AND BRITNEY, SHE LEFT HER ATTORNEY’S OFFICE RIGHT HERE BEHIND ME LATE THIS MORNING. AND NOT LONG AFTER THAT TURNED HERSELF IN TO HOOVER AUTHORITIES AT THE HOOVER JAIL. NOW THAT BEGINS THE LEGAL PART OF THIS VERY BIZARRE CASE. NOW, AUTHORITIES HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE THIS AFTERNOON, NOT LONG AFTER SHE ACTUALLY BONDED OUT OF JAIL. AND THEY ANNOUNCED SHE IS FACING TWO MISDEMEANOR CHARGES EACH CHARGE DEALS WITH MAKING A FALSE STATEMENT TO POLICE AND CARRIES UP TO A YEAR IN JAIL IN THE $6,000 FINE. HOOVER POLICE CHIEF NICK DORSEY SAID LIKE MANY OTHERS, HE TOO IS FRUSTRATED CARLEE WON’T FACE MORE SERIOUS CHARGES. I ASKED CARLY’S ATTORNEY THIS AFTERNOON IF CARLEE WAS RELIEVED TO HEAR THE CHARGES AGAINST HER. I DON’T THINK ANYONE FEEL RELIEVED ABOUT BEING CHARGED WITH ANYTHING WHERE THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT YOU’RE LOOKING AT JAIL TIME. SO I DON’T THINK ANYONE FEELS AND CERTAINLY CARLY IS A YOUNG LADY THAT IS HAVING DIFFICULT ISSUES RIGHT NOW. BUT HOPEFULLY SHE’LL WORK THROUGH THEM. NOW, ANOTHER MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT DURING THAT NEWS CONFERENCE IS THE FACT THAT ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL’S OFFICE IS GOING TO BE PROSECUTING THIS CASE. WVTM 13, CHIP SCARBOROUGH. NOW, JOINING ME LIVE FROM HOOVER WITH THAT PART OF THE STORY, CHIP. YEAH, LISA. ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL SAYS HE PLANS TO PROCEED AT THIS CASE TO THE FULLEST. HE SAYS HE AGREED TO TAKE ON THE CASE AFTER BEING ASKED BY THE HOOVER POLICE CHIEF HIMSELF. NOW, THE POLICE CHIEF SAYS HE ASKED STEVE MARSHALL TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THIS CASE BECAUSE OF THE NATIONAL AND EVEN INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION. THE CASE HAS RECEIVED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. MARSHALL SAYS THE MONUMENTAL WORK OF THE HOOVER POLICE DEPARTMENT RESULTED IN THE CHARGES AND ANNOUNCED TODAY HE SAYS BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ALSO PLAYED A ROLE AND MARSHALL ADDS, COUNTLESS HOURS WERE SPENT AND NUMEROUS RESOURCES USED TO SEARCH FOR CARLEE RUSSELL A WOMAN BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED. THEN THERE WERE VOLUNTEERS WHO SEARCHED AS WELL. WE INTEND TO FULLY PROSECUTE THIS CASE AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE HOOVER POLICE DEPARTMENT, MOVING FORWARD. WE ALSO WOULD TELL YOU THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE ANY ADDITIONAL CHARGES THAT NEED TO BE BROUGHT. AND WE’LL EVALUATE THOSE AS THE FACTS ARE PRESENTED. AND BIRMINGHAM TRIAL LAWYER TOMMY JAMES TELLS ME IT IS UNUSUAL FOR AN ATTORNEY GENERAL TO TO PROSECUTE MISDEMEANOR CHARGES. BUT HE SAYS THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE. HE ALSO ADDS THAT WHILE THE CHARGES MAY NOT BE WHAT SOME WANTED, HE SAYS THEY’RE STILL SERIOUS CHARGES. LIVE IN HOOVER, CHIP SCARBOROUGH WVTM 13. ALL RIGHT, CHIP, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WELL, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT REMAINS UNANSWERED IN THIS CASE IS WHY? WHY WOULD CARLEE RUSSELL ORCHESTRATE SUCH AN ELABORATE HOAX? I ASK HER ATTORNEY DO THAT. AND COMING UP AT 6:00 HERE WHAT HE HAD TO SAY. LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM, AL LISA CRANE WVTM 13. LISA, THANK YOU. AS WE’VE SAID BEFORE, CARLEE RUSSELL HAS QUITE THE LEGAL BATTLE AHEAD. SHE’S CHARGED WITH TWO MISDEMEANORS FALSELY REPORTING AN INCIDENT AND FALSELY REPORTING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES. IF CONVICTED, BOTH CHARGES CARRY A PENALTY OF UP TO A YEAR IN JAIL AND A POTENTIAL FINE OF UP TO $6,000. YEAH, WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS CASE CLOSELY FOR YOU ONCE CARLEE HEADS TO COURT, WE WILL UPDA