Miss Delaware Stripped Of Crown For Being 'Too Old'
By Elizabeth Hur
DOVER, Del. (CBS) --A crown controversy erupts in Delaware as a new Miss Delaware is crowned after a dispute over the age of the first winner.
Amanda Longacre said, "I was completely shocked when I found out Tuesday because all of this was verified."
The 24-year-old calls the decision, disheartening and disappointing. In her view, she won the Miss Delaware 2014 title fair and square.
"I had given all of my documents, my birth certificate, my social security card, my driver's license," Longacre recalled.
Longacre was crowned June 14th. So to be told just this week, she is older than the Miss America organization allows, she was dumbfounded.
"I've been truthful and honest this whole time I provided everything to them and this is a mistake that happened on their part," Longacre said.
To get some answers, we headed down to Dover where Thursday night, the Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization awarded the title to the runner up, Brittany Lewis.
Lewis said, "I'm so ecstatic. I am so grateful to be a representative of the state of Delaware."
She was honored but prohibited from commenting on the controversy. We then turned to the organization's legal counsel, Elizabeth Soucek, who explained, "The contestants cannot turn 25 before December 31, 2014. She's turning 25 on October, 22 2014 which makes her age ineligible."
But answering how or who overlooked the age requirement, we were told, could not be discussed.
Soucek said, "As you may understand this may end up as a lawsuit. I'm not at liberty to discuss that at this time."
Longacre responded, "This just doesn't seem right and it's not right. All I wanted to be was an ambassador and I feel as though I'm being punished."
She says she will fight to win back her title and the $11,000 she won in scholarships.
Longacre is now exploring her legal options.
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