I live in GA, so of course, we're all still talking about the "Runaway Bride." My question is, this... Do you all think she should be brought up on charges? These are the penalties she could face: A misdemeanor charge of false report of a crime or a felony charge of false statements. The misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to a year in jail; five years in prison is the maximum sentence for the felony.

For those who may be unfamiliar with this, Jennifer Wilbanks, bought a Greyhound bus ticket, cut her hair, and took off cross-country, leaving her family and friends to think the worst had happened to her, a few days before she was to get married. She was spotted in a casino in Las Vegas, but the employee who saw her didn't report it. After scaring the poop out of everyone for 4 days, she calls her fiancee' from a pay phone and lied about being abducted. It is estimated that she cost the town of Duluth, GA $100,000.00, in police manpower and search efforts.

It's obvious this woman has a problem. Her guest list for her wedding is what I would consider "obscene." I mean, how many people actually have 600 real friends? They had ordered food to feed 1,000 people. Her fiancee's dad, was the previous Mayor of the town. Both families are well-known in the community. So, I got to thinking... maybe this huge guest list and the unreal pressures put on this girl wasn't all her idea? Maybe she felt overwhelmed and just lost it? Anyway, I was wondering other people's thoughts on this. Also, her fiancee' still wants to marry her...ummmmm... I may not should say this, but perhaps he should take this as a great big sign not to marry her. She looks like the kind of person who may lose it later on with the pressure of having kids or something. Never know...

I have thought the same thing Pate. That perhaps the huge wedding wasn't her idea or doing and that the pressure to please everyone finally made her crack. In that respect, I feel kind of bad for her.

But, at the same time, she let her family and friends worry for 4 days that something terrible had happened to her. There were people out there searching for her. THAT makes me not feel so bad for her. I just keep thinking about the news report I saw, with her father, barely being able to hold it together. And she was in Las Vegas gambling? ICK!

I understand getting cold feet, but this takes the cake. As far as her being brought up on charges...I don't know if she should serve a jail sentence, but I definitely think she needs to have some consequence for this action.

I definitely think that she is not of sound mind. I just can't imagine how she could premeditate doing something like this to cause so much panic and worry. As for her fiance taking her back, I don't know how smart of an idea that is. I agree Pate, if the whole wedding thing got to her, how is she going to handle anything else that life might throw her way.

I find it hard to feel sorry for her. I understand how the wedding plans could have become too much for her, and she freaked out, but to this extent? It's obvious she has a real problem. I have seen 2 different interviews stating that she planned the wedding. That means she planned it, knowing full well she never had any intention of going through with it. Same for her flight. She planned her escape (friend picking her up, haircut, etc.), but only took a little bit of money, which means she had no intent of following through with this either.

I feel we are looking at a "Daddy's Girl" who is used to getting her way. Things weren't going exactly the way she wanted, so she had a tantrum. It's pretty obvious that she didn't care about what effect this would have on her loved ones. She has also tried to claim that she didn't know about all the people looking for her, and their pleas for her safe return. Your telling me that noone on that bus had a radio or tv? That casino didn't have a tv playing? Bull hockey!

Now her fiance says he still wants to marry her? Sounds like he needs a little help himself.

I do not believe that she deserves jail time. However, I do believe that she should be made to pay back every penny that was wasted searching for her. How many "real cases" suffered because personel were looking for her, instead of working on them? The whole thing is just sickening to me. I really believe she needs a good !!

I was talking to a friend about this.

I think she should get prosecuted for it. Cuffed and charged. I don't think she should get jail time. Giving the benefit of the doubt, that she just couldn't handle the pressure, sure you could do something dumb. But the pain, suffering and money lost is too much. Like PCE said, she knew what was happening. Then tried to make it look like a kidnapping. That's illegal. In the very least she should have to server many hours of community service. It would do her a world of good.

I think that she should be charged, I don't know which charge. However, I don't think that she should have to pay for the search, because up until she said she'd been kidnapped she hadn't done anything illegal. An adult has a right to take off without telling anybody if they want to.

I believe them when they say she got overwhelmed about the wedding. Having been a victim of family induced wedding stress, I can understand her desire to run. It wasn't sensible and it was cruel to family and friends, but when a person is panicked rational thought goes out the window and they just don't think of things like that.

I think she should *at least* have to pay back the authorities for the $$ spent on looking for her while she was 'kidnapped'. What a cruel thing to do, not only to the bride-groom, but both families.

I do wonder though, since she's done this before to another man, and this time she'd apparently pre-planned "the great escape" by about 1 week -- maybe, just maybe, she ought to seek some counselling. Or stop getting engaged. (BTW, I heard there was a runaway groom recently, too!)

I know this is a serious topic, but we couldn't help but poke a little fun at the idea. That said, here's some shameless advertising for SpiritKeep Shops[/URL] for the new Runaway Bride Collection.

• Me? Marry You? I'd Rather Kidnap Myself![/URL]
[/URL]

• Outta My Way! I'm Late For My Own Kidnapping![/URL]
[/URL]

• I'm A Serial Runaway Bride![/URL]
[/URL]

Kell

I cannot believe that ANYONE could honestly say that 'they didn't know everyone was looking for them'. Oh please, you're about to have a wedding with 600 people and instead you leave without a trace, you don't make contact with anyone for DAYS and you think no one's looking?!!!

Regardless of the 'stress' of a huge wedding, at 32 years of age you should know there are other alternatives to disappearing and then lying about your selfish behavior.

I think she SHOULD have to pay for the cost of the search. Speaking of which ~ the friend that gave her the ride to the bus station should be charged with something as well for knowingly allowing the authorities to search for days.

As far as I'm concerned she is a selfish, spoilt brat, who has little regard for anyone other than herself.

That being said, Kell Kell, I have to comment on the Runaway Bride collection.....too funny!!!

Omg, she's done this before?!?!? She definitely needs to get hit with something this time...or she may in fact do it again.

Wow, this woman is unbelievable! I just can't imagine what would go through her mind to make her think that this would be ok. Like I said before, I understand the pressures of having a wedding...God and ours was small.....having over 600 people is really unimaginable. But...that in no way excuses the fact that she premiditated this and then lied about what happened. Now that I know that she has done this before (Obviously not to this scale) I don't feel sorry for her at all. Big wedding jitters or not...at her age she should know that this wouldn't fly!

Kell, LOVE the runaway Bride collection!!! LMAO!

Kell:

I love the runaway bride items, those are a hoot! I'm going to order a couple of T shirts, my sis would get a kick out of those.

Jennifer Wilbanks' lawyer was on tv denying that she had done that before, but I heard that she did. I personally think she has some major psychological issues, her eyes sure look like a deer caught in the headlights. Being a little bit of a tomboy, and daddy's girl, I opted to go away to get married. I didn't want all that bs that goes with a big wedding. Plus, I would have cried when dad had to give me away. So, I saved us all a bunch of hassel and money. I got married by an Irish judge in the courthouse, mom and dad gave us a hunk of money (not as much as a wedding would have cost) and rented us a fancy car to take on our honeymoon. We took 2 friends along as witnesses and we had a blast. I wouldn't have done it differently for anything. There are other options, she could have taken, that's for sure. If I were her fiancee', I'd be gone... You know, she reminds of some of these women who freak out later on and kill their kids. He needs to think things over for sure, before he says, "I Do," with this woman.

Hugs,
Pate

[ May 07, 2005, 11:24 AM: Message edited by: SavannahSilkie ]