Thursday, June 02, 2005

Feeling Sorry for Runaway Georgia Bride?...

So-called runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks, was indicted last Wednesday on felony and misdemeanor charges and faces arrest, Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter announced. Oh no, what a travesty for this poor mixed up young woman you say....
Not so fast there......it seems she also has "sticky fingers" when she goes shopping. Her current attorney, a former Prosecutor, actually prosecuted her in 1996 for shoplifting some $1,700 from a local mall! Not her only conviction for shoplifting either...in 1998 she was again caught for trying to lift $98 from a local store. She has seen a jail cell before it seems!
If convicted of the Felony charge of making false statements to police she could spend many nights in jail. But heck, she offered $13,250 to the authorities to make it all "go away"........thing is, it cost over $50,000 to try and find her....hmmm...I suppose we are just supposed to forgive and forget the balance?
Nuts like this need help - but if you do the crime ya gotta do the time...or at least have some consequence for the actions taken.
June 2, 2005 Update:
Judge Ronnie Batchelor sentenced her to two years of probation and 120 hours of community service as part of a plea bargain. He also ordered her to continue mental health treatment and pay the sheriff's office $2,550.
That is in addition to the $13,250 she previously agreed to pay the city of Duluth, Ga., to help cover the overtime costs incurred in searching for her. Her balance is roughly $32,000 give or take a bit....If my math is correct, she is earning about $285 per hour for community service....I want that job when she's finished!
Rocky