Runaway Bride Caught on Tape
June 3, 2005 -- -- A 911 audiotape of runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks' first phone call to her jilted fiance surfaced today, a day after she pleaded no contest to a felony charge of making a false statement in Gwinnett County court.
Although much of the call is unintelligible, Wilbanks' sobs can be heard as she recounts to John Mason how "they cut my hair," referring to the Hispanic man and the woman who Wilbanks claimed had abducted her. Wilbanks also told Mason she did not know if she was in Georgia, and that she was not sure where she was.
Mason tells his fiancee that he just wants to know where she is so he can "figure out how to come find ya." When Wilbanks tells him that her hair has been cut, he responds, "They cut your hair? And that's all he did to you? Well that's great!"
When Wilbanks returned to Georgia, Mason gave her back her engagement ring and said he still plans to marry her.
Wilbanks expressed remorse for her actions during her court appearance and thanked those who participated in her search. The judge sentenced the runaway bride to two years of probation, community service and a $2,500 fine to be paid to the sheriff -- on top of the $13,250 she agreed to pay the city of Duluth.
Wilbanks' lawyer, Lydia Sartain, told "Good Morning America" that she has returned to the mental facility where she will continue to receive treatment as part of her plea deal.
When asked why Wilbanks took off days before her wedding and fabricated a web of lies regarding her disappearance, her lawyer said she was simply stressed out.
"She just says that she had an awful lot going on in her mind," Sartain said. "She just says there was a lot going on in her life."