Forgiveness and Responsibility

Sean Hannity just interviewed John Mason, the fiance of Jennifer Wilbanks.

He says Wilbanks is confused and scared. She doesn't understand all that's happened. He says she claims she had no idea what was going on, in terms of all the national media attention and the massive search within the community.

Hannity asked Mason if they are still engaged.

He replied that they still are going to be married. He said that he "never thought of breaking it off." He insisted it "never crossed my mind, not once."

Mason said, "She makes one mistake and everyone wants to crucify her...I forgave her right away."

He wants people to "give her a second chance."

Mason went on, "I don't know if there's any crime in taking a bus ride...I don't think there's anything legally she did wrong."

Hannity is definitely pushing for no charges to be filed against Wilbanks. He believes she should be cut a little slack.
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From AP:

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter promised to look into whether Wilbanks, 32, violated the law by falsely reporting a crime.

...Porter said Wilbanks could face a misdemeanor charge of false report of a crime or a felony charge of false statements. The misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to a year in jail; five years in prison is the maximum sentence for the felony.

"If there's criminal responsibility, that's something I have to do something about," Porter said. "I think it's really going to depend on the circumstances on how this was done."

In addition to the potential for criminal charges, Duluth Mayor Shirley Lasseter said she is looking into the possibility of suing Wilbanks to recover the cost of the search that was mounted after her disappearance. Lasseter estimated the cost at $100,000.

Appearing Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America," Porter said authorities have evidence that Wilbanks' disappearance "was not just a spur of the moment thing." He noted that she had cut her hair and said there was evidence she bought the bus ticket ahead of time and secretly set aside cash.

Despite angry calls from some residents, authorities in Albuquerque said they had no plans to charge Wilbanks, though they didn't rule out the possibility entirely.

"We have discretion. We are human beings. We have feelings and we are professional at the same time," said Albuquerque police spokeswoman Trish Ahrensfield.

Authorities in Albuquerque befriended the woman. Wilbanks boarded an airline flight home wearing a new FBI hat, blazer, polo shirt and pants and carrying a new tote bag and teddy bear, a gift from the aviation police chief. She flew first-class - on a ticket bought by her parents - and said she planned to name the bear "Al," for Albuquerque.

"Law enforcement is really making a major move to deal with people in crisis," Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schulz said Sunday. "Miss Wilbanks was definitely a person in crisis."

But in Georgia, the Gwinnett County district attorney noted that vast law-enforcement resources were used to look for the missing bride for more than three days.
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I'm all for showing Wilbanks compassion. We're human. We make mistakes.

However, we also have to take responsibility for our actions. She should be charged with falsely reporting a crime and she should pay back the $100,000 spent in the search.

Demanding that she take responsibility for her actions is a completely different issue from whether or not her fiance, family, and community want to forgive her.

We are a nation of laws. Why should Wilbanks be exempt?

As for Mason still wanting to marry her, that's proof positive that love is blind.