Chloe Curry was named miss Congeniality days after her arrest for attempting to steal makeup from Walmart.
Three nights before Chloe Curry was named Miss Congeniality at the Miss Lewis County Scholarship Pageant Saturday, she was arrested and released for allegedly trying to steal more than $100 worth of cosmetics from Walmart, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
Curry, 18, Adna, was arrested under her legal name, Chloe D. Reavis.
Pageant judges were unaware Curry went by a different name and therefore were not aware of the arrest prior to the pageant Saturday evening.
“If we had known of this prior to Saturday, she would have been pulled from competition,” Cindy Godsey, executive director of the Miss Lewis County Scholarship Pageant, said.
Curry, a student at Adna High School, was awarded a $300 Miss Congeniality scholarship.
She had the platform of building a positive self-image and her talent was rhythmetic dance.
Godsey said she checked the state pageant board’s rules and the pageant cannot take away Curry’s scholarship since she already competed.
“She competed and once (contestants) compete on the stage, the scholarship can’t be taken away,” Godsey said. “If she were to come back next year to apply — because she has a charge against her — it says in the contract she won't be able to compete.”
Besides a clean criminal record, the pageant has other strict rules. Contestants must be single, never have been married nor had a marriage annulled, not be living with a male in lieu of legal marriage and she must not be, nor ever have been, pregnant, according to the official rules.
Godsey, who ran for the Miss Lewis County title in 1973 and then returned to the organization as a volunteer in 1988, said she has never seen a contestant be disqualified for breaking the set rules.
Curry was cited along with Erin M. McCall, 18, Chehalis, on Wednesday, March 6, at 5 p.m.
According to the police report, the girls stole 14 cosmetic items, including lip balm, nail polish, two sets of fake eyelashes, fake nails, face masks, foundation and other beauty products that are commonly used in pageants.
The girls both concealed the merchandise within their purses and attempted to exit without paying, according to the report.
When approached by a Walmart employee, Curry reportedly said, “I didn’t want to have to pay for it, makeup is so expensive.”
Attempts by The Chronicle to reach Curry were unsuccessful.
Godsey said she hopes the incident will be a learning experience for Curry.
“I’m hoping it opens her eyes, because she is a sweet girl,” she said. “Sometimes you hang out with the wrong crowd. She’s obviously a follower and not a leader. That’s a sad thing. Hopefully this will teach her something and she will go on the right path.”
(This version of the story updates the amount of the scholarship.)
