(NewsNation) — Alabama nursing student Carlethia “Carlee” Russell who was convicted of falsely telling police she was abducted last year is slated to appear in court Thursday for a new plea hearing. 

Russell grabbed national headlines after concocting a story about being kidnapped when she stopped her car to check on a toddler who was wandering on the side of a highway last July.

She disappeared on July 13 and returned home 49 hours later on her own after massive search efforts. Family members said she had called and told them about seeing a toddler before she screamed and the call ended with dead air.

Russell later admitted she fabricated the story and Alabama authorities filed two misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. 

She was convicted by a municipal court judge in October but appealed that ruling. 

Here are some of key details of Russell’s case:

Carlee Russell disappears

July 13, 2023: On her way home after work, Russell made a 911 call saying she saw a toddler in a diaper on the side of Interstate 459 and that she was stopping to check on him.

When Russell’s 911 call ends, she calls a relative who says she heard the nursing student scream and go missing during that conversation.

Within five minutes of being dispatched, Hoover police officers arrive and find Russell’s wig, cell phone and purse with her Apple Watch on the road near her vehicle.

Local, state and federal law enforcement begin their 49-hour-long search

Police later find that on the same day Russell made several questionable internet searches on her phone including about amber alerts, a one-way bus ticket to Birmingham, and the movie “Taken,” a film about an abduction.

Carlee Russell returns home after 49 hours

July 15, 2023: A 911 caller reports that Russell has returned home on foot. Russell is taken to a hospital to be evaluated, and she is treated and released. Detectives go to Russell’s home and the hospital to take a statement from her.

Russell had a minor injury to her lip and $107 in her sock. No alcohol or drugs were in her system.

In her initial statement, Russell claimed she was taken by a white male with orange hair who, along with a woman, took her in an 18-wheeler and held her in a house where she was blindfolded. Russell told detectives she escaped and ran through the woods to return home. 

She also claims that the man and woman forced her to undress and may have taken photos of her.

Police say Carlee Russell won’t talk further

July 19, 2023: Police released the 911 call that Russell made before she disappeared.

The call includes Russell telling a dispatcher that she saw a small child on the side of the highway, describing the child and agreeing to pull over. Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis confirmed police found no evidence of a child in the area.

Derzis said detectives asked to speak with Russell again but she declined saying she needed time to recover. 

Carlee Russell admits fabricating her abduction

July 24, 2023: Police read a statement from Russell’s lawyer where she walks back on her entire story. 

A statement from Russell’s attorney, Emery Anthony, stated: 

“There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13, 2023. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client did not have any help in this incident — this was a single act done by herself.”

Police said they were looking into possible charges. 

Charges filed against Carlee Russell

July 28, 2023: Alabama prosecutors charge Russell with two misdemeanors:  false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident. 

Russell was taken into custody but was released on $2,000 bond. 

Carlee Russell convicted by municipal court judge

October 11, 2023: Russell pleaded not guilty to charges in court but is found guilty by Municipal Judge Brad Bishop. The judge recommended that Russell spend up to a year in jail and pay roughly $1,700 in fines. The city of Hoover also requested around $18,000 in restitution.

Russell’s attorney appealed the case saying jail time is too harsh. 

“We stipulated an appeal of the case and the reasoning behind it was that they were trying to ask for jail time, which we totally disagree with, all right,” Anthony said. “So, in fairness, it’s no need of having a trial here knowing their position. So we have stipulated an appeal of the case, it will start anew in the Bessemer circuit court.”

Carlee Russell’s appeal trial removed from court docket

March 7, 2024: Russell was scheduled for trial in state court on March 18 but Jefferson County Circuit Judge David Carpenter ordered the state trial removed from the docket.

A new plea hearing is now set for March 21.

Carlee Russell pleads guilty

March 21, 2024: Russell pleads guilty to the two charges against her. She will not serve any jail time but will have a six-month suspended sentence with a year’s probation. She will also pay nearly $18,000 in restitution and will be required to serve 100 hours of community service.

NewsNation digital producer Stephanie Whiteside contributed to this report.