Runaway Bride Indicted

MAY 25--Jennifer Wilbanks, the Georgia woman who chose to hop on a bus and head west just days before her over-sized April wedding, now faces up to six years in prison after a Gwinnett County grand jury today handed up the below indictment. Filed in Superior Court, the indictment charges the so-called Runaway Bride with lying to Duluth police (a felony) and filing a false report (a misdemeanor). Wilbanks, 32, who went missing on April 26, eventually surfaced in New Mexico four days later spinning a horrific tale of abduction and sexual abuse at the hands of a Hispanic man and his girlfriend. She later admitted to fabricating the story and told cops she split because of pre-wedding pressures. In announcing the charges, Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said he saw the indictment as "a reasonable next step in the case." The Wilbanks bust will likely be popular with the hundreds of people who deluged Duluth officials with correspondence calling for Wilbanks to be punished for her charade. According to Porter, a warrant will be issued for Wilbanks's arrest within the next few days. (2 pages)