Hilary Gushwa at her 2004 wedding, picture via Ventura County Star

Miss Ventura County 2005 has the crown jewels – and doesn’t want to give them back! I love a beauty queen scandal. Try to stay with me as I explain…

Hilary Gushwa married David Patrick Scanlan on October 10th 2004, then competed in the pageant on October 23rd. Being married is strictly against the rules.

In June 2005 an anonymous call alerted pageant officials that Miss Gushwa, who was preparing to compete for Miss California, was married nine months previous. Days later an annulment was requested, and granted in July 2005.

This was too late for Miss Ventura, who was stripped of her crown and prize jewels in October 2005. Unfortunately, the stripping wasn’t literally carried out, and Hilary Gushwa still has the jewels, valued at $2,600. She has paid damages to pageant organisers after a small claims court case, and was to return her prizes.

Organization officials said they did agree to put in writing that they wouldn’t pursue further legal action, but Gushwa backed down on returning the items.

Some in the pageant community wonder why the scholarship organization continues to pursue criminal charges since Gushwa already has paid the small claims court debt.

“The reason we took it to the next level was because the new evidence showed that Hilary had full knowledge of the wedding, and even planned the wedding herself,” Youngern said.

In the court hearing in April, Gushwa told the judge she was taking medication and was too drunk to remember the wedding. But the groom’s family produced wedding pictures they said were evidence to the contrary. The photos show a smiling Gushwa, now 24, getting married at a chapel in Las Vegas.

The groom’s family has said that said Gushwa was not intoxicated at the time of the wedding, nor the rehearsal dinner the night before. The statement in the investigation files also says the Scanlan family wanted to hold off on the marriage but Gushwa insisted.

Ventura County Star

Too drunk and on medication to remember her own wedding - A wedding which she had planned, and since the groom’s family attended, obviously she continued her involvement with the groom after the wedding.

I don’t know why you have to be single with no children to compete (apart from the fact the contests are always titled Miss, but how hard is it to change to Ms?). The annulment means that in law the marriage didn’t take place, so really she’s been kicked out for questionable character rather than just being married. A questionable character proven given she’s still got the jewels.

Pity Donald Trump isn’t going to come to her rescue like he did for Tara Conner.

Black and white pictures from the Moorpark Acorn.