DA Mulls Charges For Runaway Bride

Wilbanks Might Be Liable For Reporting Nonexistent Kidnapping

(CBS/AP)  A jilted bridegroom and a town full of puzzled residents may not be all that Jennifer Wilbanks faces as she tries to restore her shattered life. There's also the possibility the runaway bride could face charges.

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter vowed to look into whether Wilbanks, 32, violated the law by reporting a crime that didn't exist after a much-publicized case of cold feet.

Wilbanks initially told authorities she was abducted while jogging, but later disclosed she took a cross-country bus trip to Albuquerque, N.M., to avoid her lavish, 600-guest wedding.

Porter said Wilbanks 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.

"At first I've got to find out whether or not I can legally do it. I'm not sure of the jurisdiction," Porter said on CBS News' The Early Show. "After that, I'm going to look at all the facts of the case and the pre-med case that's involved and then I'll make a decision whether or not to prosecute."

Porter told Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler that there are some factors that indicate she may have been planning this, specifically that she cut her hair to avoid being recognized even though she told police in Albuquerque that she hopped this bus sort of on the spur of the moment

"There is also some information that she may have purchased the bus ticket before she actually left," Porter said. "That does seem to indicate there was a degree of premeditation there."

An FBI spokesman said that Wilbanks apparently made a sudden decision to flee her looming wedding and did not realize hundreds of people were looking for her. But he also noted she cut her hair to avoid being recognized.

"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 on Monday to police in Albuquerque, where Wilbanks turned up late Friday and called her fiancée and police to report that she had been kidnapped.

Despite angry calls from some residents, authorities in Albuquerque said they had no plans to charge Wilbanks, though they haven't ruled out the possibility.

"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."

By all accounts, authorities in Albuquerque befriended the woman.