Woman pleads guilty to lying about being raped and shot by Hispanic men

SPRINGFIELD — The wife of a founder of the Ozarks Minutemen has pleaded guilty to lying about being raped and shot by three Hispanic men.

Angela D. Wilburn, 44, appeared in Greene County Associate Circuit Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to making a false report, a class B misdemeanor. Wilburn is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 3. She could face up to six months in prison and a $500 fine.

Wilburn is the wife of Brian Wilburn, who helped form the Ozarks Minutemen. She was charged with the crime in December, after calling 911 and reporting that someone had shot her.

Angela Wilburn told investigators that three Hispanic men broke into her mobile home and that one of the men sexually assaulted her in the hallway, then shot her in the knee with a handgun.

She soon retracted her story and said she heard a noise and grabbed her husband’s gun. She told police the gun went off as she reached for a flashlight.

By the time Angela Wilburn made the admission, Greene County deputies had already spent more than 100 man-hours investigating the fictitious attack.

The sheriff’s department said in December it would seek restitution from Angela Wilburn for the wasted time. Such repayment could be part of her sentence, said Greene County Chief Deputy Jim Arnott.