Runaway Bride Close to Plea Deal

May 25, 2005 -- -- Lawyers for runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks are close to signing a plea deal, sources tell "Good Morning America."

"GMA" learned exclusively that Wilbanks could accept a plea deal where she would plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report and pay more than $14,000 in restitution, reportedly to cover police overtime on the case.

The bride-to-be made national headlines a few weeks ago when she faked her own abduction after fleeing her native Georgia days before her wedding, which included invitations for 600 people.

Wilbanks sparked a nationwide manhunt and Georgia authorities spent days looking for her. She had traveled to Las Vegas by bus and then to Albuquerque, N.M., where she eventually called authorities with a story about having been abducted and sexually assaulted. She later recanted.

Wilbanks, who is said to have voluntarily checked herself into a mental health facility since returning to Georgia, has expressed regret for the incident, but residents of her hometown of Duluth say it's not enough -- that Wilbanks should pay some type of restitution.

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter is expected to announce at a news conference this morning whether or not Wilbanks will be charged.