LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — An Arkansas beauty queen who made speeches against alcohol abuse has handed in her crown after being convicted of drunken driving, a contest official said Saturday.
And the troubles of 21-year-old Bethany Tosh of Jonesboro, Ark., may not end there, since she is under investigation for allegedly harassing members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving who monitored her trial.
Tosh was arrested Dec. 23, hours after she had addressed a civic club as Miss Northeast Arkansas and urged members not to drive after drinking.
Her trial was postponed until Thursday, when a judge found her guilty of driving while intoxicated. Tosh, a student at the University of Mississippi, was fined $800 and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service as well as attend alcohol abuse classes.
Marietta Jerome of Blytheville, Ark., director of the Miss Northeast Arkansas pageant, confirmed that Tosh surrendered her title Friday and apologized to pageant officials.
"You're dealing with young girls who make mistakes, and it's regrettable," Jerome said Saturday.
Reached by telephone, Tosh's mother, Cathy, sobbed: "She's a good person. She just drank one beer." She said her daughter was upset and did not wish to comment.
Bethany Tosh testified that she consumed only a single can of beer six hours before her arrest, but the police officer who stopped her car said he had observed it weaving.
He said a field sobriety test indicated that Tosh's blood alcohol level was 0.13 percent, well above the 0.1 percent that Arkansas law regards as evidence of intoxication.
Members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving who were monitoring Tosh's trial complained to police that she abused them outside the courtroom after her conviction.
"She placed her hands on my shoulder and another member's shoulder and said, 'I just want to thank you all for coming to my trial.' Then she screamed (an obscenity)," said Teresa McLemore, executive director of the Arkansas chapter of MADD, which frequently monitors cases like Tosh's.
McLemore said she and other members reported the incident to court officials and were given affidavits to submit to the city attorney for possible legal action against Tosh.