Best friend stole my credit card - having trouble dealing with

So, my best friend of over 12 years stole my credit card when I was last visiting her family. She's married and has 3 young children. The credit card is one I rarely use and so I had no clue it was stolen until a month after being there. The card company called me to question suspicious purchases from a different state (where my best friend lives). I decided right away that it had to be someone who lived nearby them or a friend of theirs. I never suspected them. So, I decided to tell a white lie to get the ball rolling and hopefully get my friend to start questioning people. I sent her a text and told her that either I had dropped the card in/around her house or someone had stolen it and was using it. I told her that I was going to the police station in a few days to see the video and that I would let her know what the person looked like once I saw it. This was not true, I hadn't even talked to the police at this point. So about 2 hours later, my house phone rang and it was my her. She told me her husband wanted to talk to me. He got on the line and simply said, "Sorry." I was racking my brain as to why he was apologizing and the card didn't even come to my mind. I said, "What are you talking about? Sorry for what?" He said, "I've been using your credit card and I'm sorry. Times have just been hard and I was planning on paying you back. I'm sorry." While he's telling me this, I can hear my best friend in the background whispering for her husband to tell me she knew nothing about this. At that point, I was in shock and just told him I was sorry too and then hung up the phone. I then checked out all of the purchases they made and found out it was mostly pizza, beer, random Dollar General items and mostly cash advances. I don't even understand how they took cash out without knowing my pin! The total amount was close to $1000 dollars. I am by no means whatsoever a wealthy person and am a single mother. For them to tell me and anyone else who asked them that they did it for their children to be able to survive because of lack of income and whatever other bull they're saying, I just cannot believe they used it to get drunk! Over the years, I have spent so much money on them. The night that they stole my credit card, I had even taken the whole family out to eat before heading home. I did see the security camera video finally seeing as my best friend was still saying she knew nothing her husband using the card. On the video, they walk in the store, grab the purchases and right before they get to the check out counter, my best friend quickly leaves the store and waits at the end of the building outside. Obviously to keep from getting in trouble if her husband were to be caught with the stolen card. Watching that video crushed me and made me physically sick. Worse yet, people have been calling me and trying to talk me out of pressing charges. I just can't understand it! They deserve to be in jail! This is putting me into such a uncomfortable position and I'm having a tough time coping. I loved this woman. She was like a sister to me. Or at least I was like a sister to her.

I reviewed your situation and do not envy your position. Nevertheless you now have a $1000 you gotta deal with some how and that $1000 can be considered taken out of the mouths of your children. On top of all this you have been asked by whomever to not press charges. Now if it were me I tend to think in an analytic fashion. I would press charges without giving it a second thought. Since they decided to thoroughly consider the relationship as they had to have slowly built up to $1000 its obvious to me that they couldn't care less about the relationship. Now, on the other hand you could call them up and give em all the details you know of. Tell em they're caught on camera,tell them you know it was spent on junk, and that they can choose for old-times-sake option A: Return the money within 3days(no more) or B: You take them to court, hopefully help them learn a valuable lesson and teach your own kids that your not a push over and that thieves get whats coming to them when people take a stand. Just my opinion.

I forgot to add though I'm sure your aware but just in case, the creditor will still want their money so someones gonna have to pay for it.