Runaway bride indicted on felony: 'You just can't lie to police'

<p>A county prosecutor opened a new chapter Wednesday in the saga of runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks by announcing that a warrant will be issued for her arrest on a charge of lying to police about being kidnapped.</p><p>Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said a grand jury had indicted her on a felony charge of making a false statement and a misdemeanor count of making a false police report.</p><p>Although Porter said that he was glad that the bride-to-be returned safely home after disappearing for four days at the end of April _ days before her 600-guest wedding _ the evidence showed that Wilbanks did commit a crime.</p><p>"At some point there has to be a consequence for lying to the police. We don't want, as a society, to allow people to lie to the police," Porter said.</p><p>The warrant would be issued later this week and Porter said he was confident arrangements were being made to have the 32-year-old turn herself in. No court date has been set.</p><p>Wilbanks, a nurse, had claimed she was going for a jog before she disappeared from her Duluth home on April 26, four days before her planned wedding. Her disappearance prompted a massive search and nationwide publicity.</p><p>While Georgia authorities looked for her, Wilbanks took a bus to Las Vegas and then Albuquerque, N.M. There, she called authorities with a story about having been abducted and sexually assaulted.</p><p>But under questioning, she recanted and said she fled Georgia because of unspecified personal issues. She returned to Georgia on April 30, the day she was to have been married in a ceremony with 14 bridesmaids and groomsmen.</p><p>Porter declined to say what evidence was presented to the grand jury but said the charges stem from a call Wilbanks made from Albuquerque, N.M. to Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher, detailing her fictitious abduction. The telephone call was recorded.</p><p>If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison for the felony and up to 12 months for the misdemeanor. She could also face up to $11,000 in fines and be ordered to repay authorities thousands of dollars _ up to $40,000, which is the estimated amount that the city of Duluth spent in search costs.</p><p>The indictment does not rule out a plea agreement to lesser charges, Porter said. Authorities had said they were talking to the Wilbanks family about a possible deal.</p><p>Duluth Mayor Shirley Lasseter said on Wednesday that city officials are still in negotiations with Wilbanks' attorney, Lydia Sartain, on how much, if anything, Wilbanks will repay the city. Lasseter did not rule out a civil lawsuit against Wilbanks to recoup the costs from the search.</p><p>Sartain's office said no statements will be issued until next week. Sartain has said she does not think Wilbanks committed a crime in Gwinnett County. Authorities in Albuquerque had said they would not charge Wilbanks.</p><p>"The citizens of the county will be ill-served by an attempted prosecution," Sartain said before Wednesday's charges were announced. She did not return a phone call seeking further comment Wednesday morning.</p><p>Wilbanks' family has said she entered a medical facility after her return but did not say where. Her father, Harris Wilbanks, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment on Wednesday.</p>

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