Carlee Russell pleads guilty and avoids jail time over fake kidnapping hoax, reports say

Alabama woman Carlee Russell will not face jail time after she pleaded guilty Thursday to falsely reporting her kidnapping last summer, multiple outlets reported.

Russell initially vanished on July 13 after calling police about a toddler on the side of the highway but returned home two days later. Later that month, she admitted through her attorney that she had fabricated the story.

Russell was charged with two misdemeanors: falsely reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. She was trying to appeal a conviction in a state trial but instead headed to a plea trial Thursday.

Appearing before the judge Thursday, she blindly plead guilty with no deal in place, AL.com reported.

“I made a grave mistake while trying to fight through various emotional issues and stress,” Russell told the judge, as AL.com reported. "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."

She must pay nearly $18,000 in restitution and receive mental health counseling, but her six-month jail time sentence was suspended, according to AL.com.

The judge presiding over the case or Russell's attorney Emory Anthony did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for information. 

Carlee Russell timeline:Everything that happened from her disappearance to admitting it was hoax

Carlee Russell kidnapping hoax

Russell initially went "missing" on July 13 after calling police from a Birmingham suburb to report “a male toddler in a diaper” on the side of Interstate 459 South, as previously reported by USA TODAY. She told the operator she was "stopping to check on him,” and then called a family friend to inform them of the situation.

The family friend heard her scream during the call and then lost contact with Russell. The Hoover Police Department arrived on the scene roughly five minutes later to find Russell's wig, cell phone and purse with an Apple Watch inside on the roadway near her empty vehicle. There was no sign of Russell or a child.

Police quickly launched a search for the woman, with local, state and federal authorities getting involved. The case drew national attention as people across the country kept up with news of the search.

Carlee Russell returns home, admits she wasn't kidnapped

Russell returned home on July 15 and allegedly "gave detectives her statement so that they can continue to pursue her abductor," Talitha Russell, Carlee's mother, told TODAY on July 18. Carlee's mother and father told reporters that their daughter had indeed been abducted and that the perpetrator was still at large.

Police continued to investigate until July 24, when police read a statement from Russell's lawyer at a press conference, confirming that Russell had never actually been missing. The statement said she acted alone in pulling off the deceit. She apologized to the community, searchers, police and her family for her "mistake."

"The sad thing is ... there were so many people that were involved ... took this thing very seriously," the statement read. "It is what it is."

Neither Russell nor her attorney have provided a public explanation for why she faked the abduction.