When are people liable?

[luns101]

I was following this story during the holidays:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/7206 ... 07.article

She won't be having criminal charges filed against her. Then I got to thinking about the Jennifer Wilbanks case. Remember her...

The woman with the creepy eyes. She got sentenced to community service. I think she deserved it because she made up a story about her disappearance.

But let's say it's you. Things in your life just look so horrible and you're definitely not going to commit suicide. So one day you just decide you've had enough and are going to leave your community. You don't tell any family or friends. You just get up and leave (assuming you have no debts in your community which are outstanding). People report you as missing which causes the police to spend large amounts of $$ and manpower searching for you. When you're found, should you be held liable for causing the police to spend that amount of time looking for you? What crime have you actually committed?

[muy_thaiguy]

Be held accountable for your actions, because what she did was bogus, to say the least.

[static_ice]

Isn't there some kind of personal fraud that she could be charged for? Hmm but then again she said she didn't mean to cause such a disturbance, and you don't get charged for an accident do you?

[MeDeFe]

I don't see why just leaving if you feel like it should be treated as a crime, that would be like telling you it's your fault the system in place works as it does and you have to pay because it does. I probably wouldn't leave without leavinga short message though.

But it would be sort of cool to see your own picture on TV and your mom in a knitted jersey provided by the TV station. It's weird how all women over 40 have knitted jerseys on TV, and at least 1/3rd of them are interviewed in the kitchen. The rest are interviewed in their living room. Men don't seem to be as interesting, I guess they don't appear so often because they are worse at displaying emotions on TV or something.

[luns101]

It's weird how all women over 40 have knitted jerseys on TV, and at least 1/3rd of them are interviewed in the kitchen. The rest are interviewed in their living room. Men don't seem to be as interesting, I guess they don't appear so often because they are worse at displaying emotions on TV or something.

Haha, I thought I was the only one who noticed that in the media.

[CrazyAnglican]

you don't get charged for an accident do you?

Really? I've been charged for a couple of em?

Following too close......failure to yield right of way.

[Jenos Ridan]

A fine and/or community service or jail sentince equal to the funds and effort expended.

Adults should be held 100% accountable for their own actions, no ifs ands or buts.

[Neutrino]

A fine and/or community service or jail sentince equal to the funds and effort expended.

Adults should be held 100% accountable for their own actions, no ifs ands or buts.

Technically it was the emergency services that spent $250 000, not her... That said, I admit it was pretty stupid. Community service is probably as far as I would go. Jail and fines are for people who actually committed crimes.