Senate approves Carlee Russell-inspired bill increasing penalties for falsely reporting a crime

MONTGOMERY — On Wednesday, the Alabama Senate passed House Bill 82 aimed at toughening penalties for falsely reporting a crime to law enforcement.

Currently, false reporting of a crime is a class A misdemeanor. Bill 82 increases the penalties for false reporting of a crime that poses imminent danger to a person or the public by making it a crime of Class C. The bill also expands the State’s ability to seek relief from local, state, and federal authorities for costs incurred during investigations of false reports.

The bill was sponsored by State Rep. Mike Shaw (R-Hoover) and was unanimously passed by the House of Representatives in February. State Sen. April Weaver (R-Brierfield) carried the bill to the Senate where it also passed unanimously.

The bill is inspired by the Carlee Russell kidnapping hoax that gained national attention last year.

“It was big news, but it kind of highlighted a problem. If someone wants to make a scam call like this, it can have a big impact on the community,” Shaw told 1819 News Wednesday. “The safety and well-being of the people who are searching, the expenses associated with the police and firefighters having to take the necessary resources, but also it somehow harms the community fabric. I worry about the next person who really has a problem. You know, people go out there to help and search, and then they find out it was all a hoax. This harms our community in so many ways. We hope that this law will give a little more teeth to prosecutions.”

The bill now goes to the governor for his signature.

“Last summer, Alabama law enforcement agencies were exploited and local communities terrorized when an individual falsely reported being kidnapped. After an immediate response from multiple agencies, the frightened public was outraged to learn that the entire situation was a hoax. This action cost taxpayers millions of dollars and took away critical resources from those who desperately needed law enforcement support,” said Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. “The goal of this legislation is to deter those who blatantly lie when reporting a crime, so that those who do so face the full force of the law. I commend the Legislature for listening and working with law enforcement on this issue and hope to refocus our attention on those who are victims of crime in the short and long term.

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