Statement by runaway bride may come too late for some

DULUTH, Ga. -- Townspeople who joined in the three-day search for runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks are getting increasingly peeved that they still have not heard an apology from her.

Her attorney said Wilbanks plans to issue a statement today.

"She made a big mistake. She needs to come out and face it," said Ron Harris, owner of The Soda Shop in this Atlanta suburb, where most patrons were annoyed Wilbanks has been back in Georgia since Saturday but hasn't said a word about her disappearance.

Mayor Shirley Lasseter, who is considering a lawsuit to recoup the $40,000 to $60,000 cost of the search, said the community has clearly grown tired of waiting for Wilbanks.

"Now some of the sentiment is changing to, 'This is going on too long. This is pitiful.'"

Wilbanks' attorney, Lydia J. Sartain, said her client is seeking professional help for her problems and is in no condition to speak. She said Wilbanks' written statement may not please everyone, but it will be all she can muster.

"She is not in it to please the public," Sartain said. "She wants the public to know that she is sorry, but she really is not well."

The 32-year-old Wilbanks touched off an extensive search last week when she vanished from her Duluth home four days before her scheduled 600-guest wedding.

She had taken a bus to Las Vegas and then Albuquerque, N.M., where she called authorities with a story about having been abducted. She later broke down and admitted it was simply a case of cold feet.

"She regrets the pain she caused her family, her fiance, her friends and the community who rallied to her aid," her attorney said.

Leading the 300 searchers were Duluth's police officers -- some of whom had to miss the funeral of a slain Atlanta officer Friday because they were called to help search for Wilbanks.

District Attorney Danny Porter is investigating possible criminal charges against Wilbanks for falsely reporting a crime.

Wilbanks' attorney, a former prosecutor, said she respects Porter's obligation to investigate. Sartain said Wednesday that, at the request of Wilbanks, she called the mayor of Duluth to apologize.

If Wilbanks' statement does not include an apology for falsely claiming a Hispanic man had abducted her, she can expect to see protesters on her front lawn in the days to come. The group Hispanics Across America claims her remarks endangered Hispanic males across the country and contributed to discrimination; the group says it will stand outside her home until she apologizes.