Cierra Lemott 
Following the truth being revealed about 25-year-old nursing student Carlee Russell lying about being kidnapped, she has been charged with “false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident,” according to NBC News. Both are Class A misdemeanors. The same source reports that each of the charges carries a bond of $1,000 and she could spend up to one year in jail in addition to a fine of $6,000 if she is to be convicted.
This still brings about more questions than answers as it is still unknown where Russell was for the 49 hours that she was missing, why she lied about being missing and why she was smiling in her mugshot. Many found it strange that she smiled in her mugshot photo as if she wasn’t being charged with something as major as what it was.
Because of Russell’s actions, lawmakers in Alabama want to make it a felony to fake an abduction.
Let Russell be an example of what not to do. Her actions definitely deserved to be punished because abduction is nothing to play around about. There are so many missing women and girls all over the world who genuinely need help. The attention should be placed on finding them, not on a hoax.
Hopefully, Russell gets the mental help that she needs and learns from the consequences she’s facing.
By Cierra Lemott, Senior, Columbia College Chicago
Instagram: @cece.kodak / @kodakscamera
X: @LemottCierra
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