A former beauty queen with a checkered past has been charged again, according to local sources. The 31-year-old woman, who was crowned Miss Nevada 2007 before having her title revoked in the midst of a scandal, has been charged with drug possession. She was arrested on Sept. 2 after being pulled over with her boyfriend by Nevada authorities. So far no court date has been announced.
The woman, who lost her title in Dec. 2006 after compromising photos of her were leaked to the Miss USA governing body, has been charged in the past for the possession and sale of drugs. This time, her boyfriend was pulled over by Las Vegas police after allegedly failing to properly use a turn signal. Once police had pulled over the vehicle, they apparently initiated a search for reasons unknown.
In the car, police say they found what appeared to be drug paraphernalia, as well as prescription medication and what is believed to be marijuana and methamphetamine. Her boyfriend allegedly told police that none of these items belonged to the former beauty queen. She was arrested, though it was not clear if the boyfriend was arrested as well.
Despite the woman’s frequent run-ins with law enforcement, previous infractions cannot be considered evidence of guilt with regard to the current charges. Nevada prosecutors will have to ensure that police conducted their search in accordance with the rights of both the woman and her boyfriend. If they failed to adhere to the letter of the law in initiating and performing this search, any evidence recovered from the vehicle could be considered inadmissible in a criminal court. That could lead to a reduction or outright dismissal of the drug possession charges.
Source: Houston Chronicle, “Former Nevada beauty queen arrested again for alleged drug possession“, Craig Hlavatey, Sept. 3, 2015
