Fairest of the Fair winner gets arrested
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The beauty queen, Madesta Smedley, 19, stands charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The crime is a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum 11-month, 29-day jail sentence. Such crimes are generally settled by a fine and sometimes a short jail term.
Her fellow housemates, Amanda M. Kisamore, 24, Lucas F. Black, 19, and Cole A. Langford, 19, are also charged with contributing and will face a June 20 hearing date along with Smedley. A pair of 17-year-olds face consumption of alcohol charges for the incident.
The charges come after police answered an overdose call at the group’s McMinnville home.
Patrolman Bo Hutchins reported finding a 17-year-old boy passed out on a mattress in the living room and another 17-year-old passed out on a nearby couch. They were both taken to River Park Hospital by ambulance and both recovered during treatment.
During an inspection, Hutchins said he found numerous beer bottles and cans. The residents of the house, except for Langford who was also allegedly passed out, said they did see drinking going on. Smedley reportedly told Hutchins she knew one of the 17-year-olds was drinking and taking pills and told the boy she did not like it. All four people whose names are on the lease were charged due to their presence at the scene and responsibility as legal residents.
The arrest comes as Smedley is approaching the end of her reign as Fairest of the Fair, an honor which is scheduled to be passed on to the next winner during ceremonies this September. However, a conviction could impact whether Smedley gets to crown her successor.
According to longtime Fairest of the Fair organizer Linda Partin, the rules permit the committee to strip the Fairest of the Fair crown for pregnancy or for getting married during her year as queen, but there is no provision for a misdemeanor violation of the law.
“The Fairest of the Fair represents Warren County,” Partin said. “This is something the committee could discuss and perhaps turn over to the fair board for action. We’ve had things happen before, but this is a little different.”
Partin said the only action the fair could take at this late date would be preventing Smedley from passing the crown as her other responsibilities as Fairest have already been completed. Should the board take action and deny Smedley a last appearance at the pageant, then the passing would be done by the first runner-up in last year’s contest.
“People are innocent until proven guilty,” Partin said, noting if the board does take action, it would not happen until the criminal case is complete.