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Is this a crime?

Motokid

Motokid

New Member
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/30/wilbanks.found/index.html

This moron should be charged with something. She put 100's of people through various forms of what I would call torture for almost 4 full days before she finally surfaced. 100's of people missed work to search for her and all she needed to do was leave a note, or make a phone call. Instead she basically caused a large portion of people to assume, and fear the worst. She only surfaced when she ran out of money too it appears. If she'd had another $500.00 would she still be missing?

I feel she should be fined a pretty significant amount of money and be forced to spend 100's of hours doing community service at the very least. Maybe jail time for the same period of time she was awol would be a good idea too?

And why does anybody need/want 600 people at their wedding? if they can afford a 600 person wedding they can afford maybe a $50,000 fine for her idiotic behavior?
 
If you can get fined for being a moron, then I better start making a lot of money really really fast.
 
First off, I think she's a moron for planning a wedding like that. Twelve bridesmaids??? Oh, come on! Secondly, once the "oh, gosh, I'm glad she's okay" phase wears off of her family, the "how could you do that to us" and "what in the hell were you thinking" phases will kick in and she'll have many people quite angry with her and a lot to answer for. And some people aren't very forgiving and will hang that over her head for quite a while.
 
I read it was 14 bridesmaids. I wonder if this was all her idea or if the moms were involved, I've read enough to know that mothers and mothers of the groom can really push things out of proportion.

I wondered myself why she couldn't just call up her best friend and stay with her for a while. Or at least call her best friend on her way across the country. Of course, she wasn't thinking straight, was she? It's easy for us to be objective and say what she ought to have done, but when it's you in the situation, you don't know what you'd do. We don't know the whole story, so I'm not in a rush to judge. I'm not saying to go easy on her, what she did was incredibly self-centered, but at least wait till we hear her side of the story, if we ever do.
 
No need for a fine I think. Her retribution from her family will probably be enough.

Plus if she ever wants to go through the motions again, you can be sure not too many people will turn up.



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I heard that she bought the bus ticket last week...she knew she was going to do this for a week before she did it. Now that says something. I mean, if you're freaking out about having this huge wedding, well then you need to tell someone (preferrably the person you're marrying) and let them know that you don't want this anymore. Things can be changed, but hopping on a bus and going halfway across the country does not do anything...my family would kill me if I pulled a stunt like that. I think definitely needs to be charged with something, faking an abduction sounds good, because when she originally called her fiance she told him that she was abducted, and then finally came clean about it.
 
While it is certainly a shitty thing to do, I don't think it is a crime. The woman wanted to vanish, maybe forever. I'm inclined to say that she has the right to do so if she wants. People go missing all the time, sometimes as a result of escaping from an abusive relationship or other personal problems, we just don't hear about it. (Probably because they aren't the type of people with 600 guest weddings)

As for the 100s of people who took a day off work to look for someone who didn't want to be found...well...tough. They can either look at it one of two ways. I did something unselfish that I thought I needed to do, even if I was being tricked. OR I got duped, now I'm pissed, I can't wait till I see that woman in the supermarket.

The reality is that we don't know what her life is like. We don't know how she is treated by her family, fiance, etc. Maybe she had a reason to run. I try not to judge people I don't know.

Now, lying about being kidnapped...that is a whole other story...
 
Nobody called Agatha Christie a moron when she ran away and hid, despite half of England looking for her.
 
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/01/wilbanks.found/index.html

This women methodically deceived 100's of people for 4 days. She cut her hair so she would not be recognized. There was a Nationwide alert. She new people were looking for her.

Then when she was caught/found she lied about being kidnapped.

I don't know if it's obstruction of justice, or fraud, or what, but this kind of crap is so far above and beyond what should just be brushed off as some dopey broad just getting cold feet. I'm sure she will have hell to live through for some time to come, but I also think at some point she should have to pay for her actions with serious community service and maybe even cash.

Regardless of her "reasons" for running she made a huge, huge error in judgement. One that should be held accountable by more than just street justice. She's 32 years old for cryin' out loud.


edit:
Here's the story on what was happening early in her dissappearance
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/28/woodruff/index.html

helicopters, dogs, 100's of officers, and over 200 volunteers.....
 
In 2004, there was a college student in Wisconsin who faked her own kidnapping. She was charged, given 3 years probation, and required to pay back the $9,000 price tag that accompanied her search.

If this is the current precedent, Wilbanks should face the same charges. She utilized resources for fraudulent purposes. She falsely reported a crime.

Personally, I think she is an idiot since she couldn't just say to her fiance, "Hey, I need some time." Geez...
 
she could be a pathological liar. oprah recently had 2 shows on these people and this woman's antics fit the bill.
 
Motokid said:
This women methodically deceived 100's of people for 4 days. She cut her hair so she would not be recognized. There was a Nationwide alert. She new people were looking for her.
Click to expand...

Actually, this is not true. She didn't deceive anyone until she claimed she had been kidnapped. She ran away. At no point did she leave any kind of note of evidence infering that she should have been searched for. You're right...she was 32 years old. She had the RIGHT to leave home and not contact any one. It is a free country.

As far as charges go, nothing is going to end up happening to her. I heard it on the news this morning. Georgia has nothing they can charge her with. She did not commit a crime in that state. Running away isn't a crime, neither is deceiving people. The only crime she commited was in New Mexico when she stated she had been kidnapped. New Mexico/Albequerque has decided not to bring charges.

I do, however, have to say that I think people here could try a tad bit harder to be compassionate. As far as I know, none of us know her, her family or anything about this situation other than what we read or see on TV. There is undoubtedly more to the story than we are seeing. Calling her an idiot, moron and dopey broad are a bit judgemental in my opinion. Nobody is perfect...
 
mehastings said:
I do, however, have to say that I think people here could try a tad bit harder to be compassionate. As far as I know, none of us know her, her family or anything about this situation other than what we read or see on TV. There is undoubtedly more to the story than we are seeing. Calling her an idiot, moron and dopey broad are a bit judgemental in my opinion. Nobody is perfect...
Click to expand...


i agree that we don't know all the facts, however compassion could have played into her plans as well. her family and fiance must have been frantic and that is cruel and immature. i can only imagine the thoughts that must have gone through their minds.
 
I have to wonder if there would have been this much fuss and national attention had the bride expected 50 guests at a wedding at a state park, and had two bridesmaids. I think the whole thing was seized on by the media-after all, 600 guests and 14 bridesmaids is more interesting than two bridesmaids and a comparative handful of friends and relatives.
 
She did break the law. The authorities in New Mexico are just choosing to not press charges.

I've read planty of news on this situation so far and I think she needs to be charged with something. Until I read otherwise I'll continue to have no compassion for her.

Why couldn't she have picked up a pay phone just before she boarded the bus for Las Vegas and told her mother she was backing out of the wedding and needed time to think?

She put so many hundreds of people in a very stressful, and possibly dangerous situation for absolutely no reason. People were crawling through sewers looking for her body.

"F" her and the horse she road in on until I hear/read something that changes my opinion. If that happens (unlikely) I'll certainly state that you (mehastings) were right to call for more compassion.
 
Is this a crime? - Yes

What charge? - Obstruction of justice

Why? - Hours of wasted labor by LE

Failing to charge this woman would set a poor precedent for future behavior by other similarly inclined individuals. She should be punished for her cowardice and stupidity. The police have better things to do.
 
that's what i think. bailing on a wedding is not a crime, but faking your kidnapping and misleading so many people and the horror she put her fam through, criminal. anyone remember the parable of the boy who cried wolf?
 
"I have to wonder if there would have been this much fuss and national attention had the bride expected 50 guests at a wedding at a state park, and had two bridesmaids. I think the whole thing was seized on by the media-after all, 600 guests and 14 bridesmaids is more interesting than two bridesmaids and a comparative handful of friends and relatives."

I'm sure that's part of it, but the timing was bad too. How many child abductions, rapes, and killings have happened in Florida alone in the last few months? I think everybody is sensative to a very rational fear of expecting the worst when somebody just completely dissappears. Way too often those fears are proved to be valid.
 
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