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May 26, 2005
Runaway Justice: Making Cold Feet and Bad Judgment a Crime
If you’ve followed SCO you may recall that I am a resident of Gwinnett County, Georgia, home of the 2005 heroine (Ashley Smith of the courtroom murder drama) and the female villain (Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride).
I also posted last week about my experience as jury foreman in a criminal trial here in Gwinnett.
I am disgusted that the district attorney forced and a grand jury bit on a two-count indictment yesterday against Wilbanks, with the potential for seven years in prison if convicted.
Oh to be on the jury for the Jennifer Wilbanks trial.
This is an absolute travesty of justice based on public anger at Wilbanks for wasting their time and costing the citizens of Gwinnett some money. This is nothing about the law. At the very worst this should be a civil case to try to recover some of the money spent looking for Wilbanks.
The only folks that would have a potential case against Wilbanks would be the police in New Mexico. She lied to them and caused them to take some action. But they were smart enough to recognize that this was not a criminal at work, but a messed up young woman who needed to go home and get help.
As her story to the Albuquerque police was about to unravel, Wilbanks called the police here in Gwinnett County and related her false story of abduction. But she—-and the fictional perpetrators—-were in New Mexico, not Georgia.
No Gwinnett police officer had to leave a Dunkin Donuts; no district attorney had to leave the golf course. At that point no public employee had to do anything but take a phone message.
And they’ve indicted this space cadet for a felony.
A lot of people are mad at Wilbanks for fooling them, and for costing Duluth, Georgia $40,000. But the call she made to police at the end of the saga didn’t cost anyone anything.
Leave her alone. Let her get help. This has become the case of runaway justice. What an embarassment.
UPDATE: It gets worse. I just read the article on this in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was reminded that Wilbanks did not call the Duluth police. She called home (or her fiance's home) and while she was on the phone, the Duluth police chief rushed to the house and got on an extension. That's how he got the false report, with which he could do nothing! Sham indictment.
Posted by Jim at May 26, 2005 08:00 AM
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Comments
I FEEL YOUR PAIN AND AGREE WITH YOUR POINT(S) ON THE SHAM INDICTMENT. HOWEVER, I AM NOT SURPRISED. WELL, PERHAPS A LITTLE SURPRISED AT THE LENGTH THAT THE GWINNETT GOVERNMENT WILL GO TO TO PROVE THAT THEY ARE THE BIGGEST BULLIES EVER.
I HAVE SERVED ON A GRAND JURY 2-3 YRS AGO UNDER PORTER, AND HE SEEMED A REASONABLE ENOUGH FELLOW.
I GUESS HE IS FEELING PUBLIC PRESSURE, I DUNNO. I ALSO WAS VICTIMIZED BY THOSE GWINNETT BASTARDS. THEIR "JUSTICE" DEPT FALSELY IMPRISONED MY HUSBAND RECENTLY AND WE LOST OUR BUSINESS, OUR HOUSE, NOT TO MENTION WHAT TO TELL MY YOUNG CHILDREN? . THE RAMIFICATIONS FOR MY FAMILY WERE DAMN NEAR DEVASTATING. WE'RE SO FAR IN DEBT AND LOST ALL COMMUNITY RESPECT. NOT THAT I DID ANYTHING, BUT YOU KNOW HOW THAT GOES. THEY ARE SUCH FASCISTS! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE PURPOSE OF RUINING OUR LIVES? WHAT DID THEY GAIN? THERE IS NO WAY I CAN EXPLAIN THE PAIN THAT THEY CAUSED FOR NOTHING. I HOPE THAT MS W. DOES NOT SUFFER AS WE DID.
Posted by: NANU160 at May 29, 2005 05:07 AM