Fred Derf Veteran Posted May 2, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 2, 2005 May 2, 2005. 10:14 AM Prosecutor considers charges against runaway bride CHARLES ODUM ASSOCIATED PRESS DULUTH, Ga. - A jilted groom and a town full of puzzled residents may not be all that Jennifer Wilbanks faces, as authorities today weighed the evidence and the legal issues to determine whether she should be charged with a crime. District Attorney Danny Porter of Gwinnett County vowed to look into whether Wilbanks, 32, violated the law by reporting a crime that didn?t exist. Wilbanks, who vanished last Tuesday after saying she was going out jogging, initially told authorities she had been abducted. But she later admitted she took a cross-country bus trip to Albuquerque, N.M., to avoid her lavish, 600-guest wedding, which was to have taken place Saturday. Porter said Wilbanks could face a misdemeanour charge of false report of a crime or a felony charge of false statements. The misdemeanour carries a penalty of up to a year in jail; five years in prison is the maximum sentence for the felony. ?If there?s criminal responsibility, that?s something I have to do something about,? Porter said. ?I think it?s really going to depend on the circumstances on how this was done.? Porter said he would speak Monday to police in Albuquerque, N.M., where Wilbanks turned up late Friday and called her fiance and police to report that she had been kidnapped. And speaking Monday morning to ABC?s Good Morning America, Porter said authorities have evidence that Wilbanks? disappearance ?was not just a spur of the moment thing.? Porter pointed to the fact that she had cut her hair and said there was evidence she bought the bus ticket ahead of time and secretly set some cash aside. ?I will make the decision as far as whether or not I can legally do it today,? Porter told NBC?s Today. But he added that there was more to the decision than whether it was legally possible. ``Hopefully I will try for very quickly to make the decision on whether I should do it once I have had a chance to review all of the facts.? Despite angry calls from some residents, authorities in Albuquerque said they had no plans to charge Wilbanks, though they didn?t rule out the possibility entirely. ?We don?t have to charge everybody,? said Albuquerque police spokeswoman Trish Ahrensfield. ?We have discretion. We are human beings. We have feelings and we are professional at the same time.? But in Georgia, the Gwinnett County district attorney noted that vast law-enforcement resources were used to look for the missing bride for more than three days. As for whether she needs help instead of court action, Porter told NBC: ?You weigh that in the sentencing. I may agree she doesn?t deserve prison time, but you can?t force someone to get help unless you get them under the control of the court, or force them to pay for the police resources unless you get them under the control of the court. There is a big difference about what will happen in the end and the decision to charge.? Last year, a Wisconsin college student who faked her own abduction and turned up curled in a fetal position in a marsh was given three years? probation for obstructing police and was ordered to repay police at least $9,000 US for their search. Another similar case involved Lethbridge, Alta., alderwoman Dar Heatherington, who faked her own disappearance during a business trip to Great Falls, Mont., in 2003, prompting a large search. Heatherington, 41, was later convicted in Alberta on a mischief charge and sentenced to eight months of house arrest, followed by a nightly curfew for a year. On Sunday, members of Peachtree Corners Baptist Church, where Wilbanks? fiance, John Mason, is a member, said prayers and expressed concern for the couple. Wilbanks and Mason did not attend the services Sunday morning. Rev. Bob Horner thanked church members who had helped in the search and provided support for family members. ?Number one, we are so thankful that Jennifer has been found,? Horner told the congregation. ?Number two, I want to publicly thank all of you who prayed and you who went to Duluth to be with the family.? After she disappeared last week without her keys, wallet or diamond ring, more than 100 officers led a search that involved several hundred volunteers, including many wedding guests and members of the bridal party. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...id=968332188492 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted May 2, 2005 Author Veteran Share Posted May 2, 2005 I think they should charge her. It was a terribly irresponsible thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan - Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 yes they should, that aint right at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemania Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 I think they should charge her. It was a terribly irresponsible thing to do. 585861158[/snapback] She was irresponsible, but you also have to consider the affect of the media. She was put in a difficult attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistical Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 I hope they do charge her, when I first heard they were not going to I was really sort of mad. Not that I really care or should but I mean everyone else gets charged right? How much time did they waste looking for her when they could of been really looking for someone that is actually missing? or finding a murder? etc. Just because she is rich, as I've been told, does not mean she should get off or just because she had cold feet, none of that should effect rather or not she gets charged. Sigh, I hope to read soon that she has been charged with a good amount of money having to be paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boffa Jones Veteran Posted May 2, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 2, 2005 Burn on the media for covering the rich white kidnapping rather than one of the others in poor areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBG Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 If were her fiance I would be ****ed. I'd much rather have a girl just tell me to my face tbh. And Boffa you are right on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdb815 Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 I think it's sad that we always hear about pretty white girls that go missing, but never anything about boys or minorities. In any event, she should be charged for lying to the authorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OPaul Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Well even if they don't charge her they sure as hell better fine her for wasting all the man hours the police and volunteers had to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted May 3, 2005 Author Veteran Share Posted May 3, 2005 Well even if they don't charge her they sure as hell better fine her for wasting all the man hours the police and volunteers had to use. 585863615[/snapback] Send her the bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitch00 Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 I hope they do charge her, when I first heard they were not going to I was really sort of mad. Not that I really care or should but I mean everyone else gets charged right? How much time did they waste looking for her when they could of been really looking for someone that is actually missing? or finding a murder? etc.Just because she is rich, as I've been told, does not mean she should get off or just because she had cold feet, none of that should effect rather or not she gets charged. Sigh, I hope to read soon that she has been charged with a good amount of money having to be paid. 585861734[/snapback] rich people like that dont care about money (im assuming youre right on the rich part), a real punishment for her would be a couple months doing time, but i totaly agree with everything else you said about how they could of actually been doing something useful with their time (cops that is) like eating donuts/finding a real kidnap victim.. either or :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksalls Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 She was irresponsible, but you also have to consider the affect of the media. She was put in a difficult attention. 585861518[/snapback] i agree, it was obviously a seriously difficult position the media put her in, after the fact. but it doesnt excuse her behavoir and lack of forsight. I would suggest billing her a percentage of the cost. I can only assume the full bill would be an exceptionally large amount. Tho if she is rich enough to afford the whole thing, then perhaps full reperations are in order. Lack of forsight can not be used as an excuse for irresponsible behavior Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted May 3, 2005 Author Veteran Share Posted May 3, 2005 May 3, 2005. 10:50 AM Fianc? still wants to marry runaway bride But groom-to-be's father telling him to go slowly CHARLES ODUM ASSOCIATED PRESS DULUTH, Ga. ? The man whose bride-to-be skipped town days before a lavish wedding and claimed she had been abducted says he still wants to marry her, but his father said today that he?s cautioning his son to go slowly. John Mason is defending his fiancee?s actions and says he still wants to walk down the aisle with Jennifer Wilbanks. The guilt she is dealing with ?has got to be consequence enough to me,? Mason said in an interview on Fox News. It was Mason?s first public statement since he learned on the morning of his planned wedding day Saturday that Wilbanks had turned up in New Mexico and admitted she had got cold feet. Her disappearance four days earlier had set off an extensive manhunt and international publicity. Mason?s father, Claude Mason, said today on ABC?s Good Morning America that he has told his son: ?Take it slow and if this is what you still want, we?re behind you.? Asked if he would be concerned if the couple heads into another big wedding, Claude Mason said: ?I have mixed emotions about that. I think the wedding plans got a bit out of hand, but I couldn?t say a whole lot. I?m the father of the groom.? John Mason and his fiancee?s father, Harris Wilbanks, who also appeared on the Fox show, said the 32-year-old woman was working on a public statement. ?She just needs some space and some time,? Mason said. ?She just wants the whole world to know she?s very, very sorry.? Carter Brank, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said that while the would-be bride ?was somewhat remorseful? when he interviewed her, she ?didn?t come right out and apologize.? The local prosecutor said he would conduct a thorough investigation, which could take weeks, before deciding whether to charge Wilbanks for falsely claiming she had been kidnapped. District lawyer Danny Porter said Wilbanks could face a misdemeanour charge of false report of a crime or a felony charge of false statements. The misdemeanour carries a penalty of up to a year in jail; five years in prison is the maximum sentence for the felony. Officials are also looking into the possibility of suing Wilbanks for the estimated $40,000 to $60,000 US cost of searching for her. ?We feel a tad betrayed and some are very hurt about it,? Mayor Shirley Lasseter said. Mason said he has given Wilbanks her ring back ? she had left it at the house ? and said they still planned to marry. She was wearing the engagement ring during questioning yesterday, authorities said. ?Just because we haven?t walked down the aisle, just because we haven?t stood in front of 500 people and said our `I do?s,? my commitment before God to her was the day I bought that ring and put it on her finger, and I?m not backing down from that,? Mason said. At a news conference yesterday, Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher provided details of Wilbanks? travels. He said Wilbanks bought a Greyhound bus ticket to Austin, Tex., a week before running away April 26. Instead of continuing to Austin, she got off the bus in Dallas and bought a ticket to Las Vegas, Nev., where she spent most of her time hanging out at the bus station before going to Albuquerque, N.M., authorities said. It was in Albuquerque that she called Mason and police from a pay phone, saying she had been kidnapped. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...id=968332188492 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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