'Runaway bride' sentenced to probation

ATLANTA - The Georgia "runaway bride" whose highly publicized disappearance days before her wedding turned out to be a case of cold feet has pleaded no contest to a felony charge of making a false statement to police.

Jennifer Wilbanks, 32, appeared in a Gwinnett County court and was sentenced to two years probation and 120 hours of community service. She was also required to pay US$2,550 to the county sheriff's department and continue mental treatment, the Gwinnett County District Attorney's office said in a statement.

Wilbanks vanished from her home in Duluth, an Atlanta suburb, days before her wedding in April, triggering a nationwide search. She was found a few days later in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

At first, Wilbanks said she had been abducted while jogging and sexually assaulted, but later changed her story, telling police she had left the state because she had reservations about her lavish wedding.

"This is a good resolution of the matter under all of the facts of the case," the Gwinnett district attorney's office said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Wilbanks paid the city of Duluth about US$13,000 to help cover costs incurred in search efforts after she fled.

- REUTERS