ATLANTA — Even as she faced the judge, Jennifer Wilbanks seemed prepared for a quick getaway.
Dressed in a black jogging suit and running shoes, the runaway bride pleaded no contest Thursday to a felony charge of lying to police about her famous flight last month.
In a plea agreement that keeps the 32-year-old medical assistant from serving time, Wilbanks was sentenced to two years' probation, 120 hours of community service and continued medical treatment.
The sentencing before Superior Court Judge Ronnie K. Batchelor also included a promise to pay the Gwinnett Sheriff's Department $2,550 for overtime it incurred during the search. Wilbanks had already paid the city of Duluth $13,249 for its search expenses.
Other than a quick trot through the Albuquerque airport with a multicolored afghan over her head, the sentencing was Wilbanks' first public appearance since her disappearance just days before her lavish wedding was to have taken place. Helping with the early search for her were some of the 14 bridesmaids, 14 groomsmen and 600 invited guests in town for the ceremony.
In the Gwinnett County courtroom, Wilbanks' voice faltered as she made her first public statement. Her hands trembled as she stood before the judge, a diamond on her left ring finger.
"I am truly sorry for my actions. I want to thank the county and the city of Duluth for all their efforts," she said as she struggled to hold back tears.
In the front row was Wilbanks' fiance, John Mason, along with family members.
In interviews since his fiancee's return, Mason has said he still plans to marry the jittery bride-to-be.
After the court hearing, Mason did not respond to reporters' questions about the pending nuptials.
Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter said the plea deal was a just conclusion to the well-publicized tale.
"This is a good resolution of the matter under all the facts of the case," Porter said. "Other than the overwhelming press scrutiny, this is a routine case handled in a routine manner."
The felony conviction could have carried a prison term of up to five years. A misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime was dropped.
By pleading no contest and receiving first-offender status, Wilbanks gains an opportunity to have her criminal record expunged if she successfully completes the terms of her probation.
Though Wilbanks was arrested three times from 1996 to 1998 in Hall County on theft and shoplifting charges, she was eligible for first-offender status because she had never been convicted of a felony, Porter said.
Wilbanks vanished April 26 during an evening jog.
Her disappearance alarmed her fiance and members of both families, who alerted Duluth police. The missing person report started a massive search by volunteers and several law enforcement agencies, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.
Wilbanks surfaced in Albuquerque, N.M., four days after she disappeared, the day she was to have wed Mason, the son of a former mayor of Duluth. She initially told police in both cities that she had been abducted. Wilbanks spun an elaborate story of being kidnapped by a Hispanic man and an Anglo woman and being sexually assaulted.
But within hours she admitted to the FBI that her story was fabricated.
In a statement issued after she returned to Georgia, Wilbanks said she had voluntarily entered a "highly regarded inpatient treatment program" to deal with the "physical and mental" problems that caused her to fake her abduction.
At Thursday's sentencing, Wilbanks' attorney, Lydia Sartain, said she had been looking forward to arguing some of the legal questions that arose from the indictment. But Wilbanks chose to enter a plea rather than go to trial, the lawyer said.
"It was Jennifer's decision to go forward," Sartain said. "She wishes to spare herself and Gwinnett citizens the expense of a trial."
Wilbanks and Mason arrived at court together, accompanied by family members and her attorney. Mason, who was dressed in a dark suit and tie, showed little emotion during the brief hearing.
The couple left separately.
As Wilbanks tried to get away from the swarm of photographers and reporters, she suddenly picked up the pace and broke into a slow jog to a waiting car.