Carlee Russell - the I-459 hoax girl last summer - pleads guilty

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Carlee Russell appeared in a Jefferson County courtroom Thursday afternoon, eight months after she vanished from the side of Interstate 459 and sparked a nationwide panic, and asked for mercy as she entered guilty pleas to two misdemeanors.

Russell, 26, entered a blind plea to false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident.

That meant Russell had no agreement in place stating what sentence the judge would hand down. A Hoover municipal judge in October had sentenced her to a year in the Jefferson County jail.

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“I made a grave mistake while trying to fight through various emotional issues and stress,” Russell said, crying as she addressed the judge.

“I absolutely regret my decision and in hindsight wish I had cried for help in a totally different manner. My prayer is that I will be extended grace and be given the opportunity to redeem who I truly am and restore the positively esteemed character that I have worked so hard to obtain for the 25 years of my life prior to this incident,” Russell said.

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Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff Judge David Carpenter pointed out that although Russell alarmed the country, he believed it would be a waste of government resources to put her in jail because she is not a threat to the community.

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Russell was sentenced to six months in county jail. However, those sentences were suspended.

Russell was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $18,000. She must provide proof of mental health counseling.

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”She’s just 26 years old, she’s in nursing school, she’s got three semesters left, she’s genuinely contrite and remorseful and she’s been deeply affected,’’ Jaffe said, adding that she wants to redeem herself.

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She's still in nursing school. She won't spend any time in jail. Her penalty is $18k, which is far short of the $40k-$50k of resources spent on her. Her parents will pay her fine. She didn't apologize to the Hoover PD until just now.

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Derzis (Hoover Police Chief) said he was disappointed she would not served jail time, especially with so many unanswered questions.

”We still today don’t know where she was and she obviously had help and we don’t know who the help was,’’ Derzis said.

“To me it’s a slap on the wrist- pay your money and go forward.”

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