Connecticut’s teen pageant queen still has her crown but no where to wear it after police busted an underage drinking party at her parents’ Wolcott house last month.
The Miss Connecticut Scholarship Corp. pulled the reins on the reign of Rachael Ramonas, 17, after the Feb. 21 party, where 24 teens were cited.
The names of the teens busted have not been because they are juveniles. It's unclear if Ramonas was among those issued a ticket.
Ramonas had planned to act as spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving as part of her yearlong reign but the state chapter no longer is working with the teen, who once organized a benefit for the families of friends killed in a car crash in which the teen behind the wheel had a history of drunken driving.
MADD officials have not heard from Ramonas since before the party, said Janice Heggie Margolis, executive director of MADD's Connecticut chapter.
"An apology was not made, and her behavior was not befitting what we would consider a role model," Heggie Margolis said.
On May 2, Ramonas will not march alongside her pageant peers during a MADD walk-a-thon in West Hartford, nor will she be allowed to perform in a May 8 MADD-sponsored high school talent show in North Haven.
Local
Pageant officials are waiting for a higher court to do its thing before deciding whether Ramonas can keep her title.
While she has it now, she cannot wear her sash and crown in public or participate in pageant-related events.
"Her crown was not taken away from her," said Gail McCool, of the Miss Connecticut Scholarship Corp. "At this point it's between her and her family and the court. … We are not involved with that. Our involvement is waiting and hoping that she is cleared of everything."
Wolcott Police Capt. Domenic Angiolillo said the legal process for the teens usually takes three to six months and the department is "hearing whispers that a lot of the kids are pleading innocent."
Ramonas' term ends in June.
