Miss USA Tara Conner to be Stripped of her Crown

News reports which surfaced on Thursday that Miss USA Tara Conner could be stripped of her crown have since been denied by organizers of the Miss USA Pageant, though they admitted that certain "behavioral and personal issues" are being evaluated.

Lark-Marie Anton, a Miss Universe Organization spokeswoman, declined to elaborate on any problems that Conner might be having.  

Online website TMZ broke the news that executives from the Miss USA organization and NBC (which broadcasts the pageant) met Tuesday to discuss Conner and alleged incidents of her inappropriate behavior, including her conduct at New York City bars.  According to TMZ sources, officials are extremely unhappy with the current Miss USA's conduct in public.

Pageant rules say that if Connor is removed, first runner-up Miss California Tamiko Nash will assume the duties of Miss USA and complete the remainder of the beauty queen's reign. When TMZ contacted a rep for Nash, we were told they could "neither confirm nor deny" that she would be taking over the title.

Twenty-year-old Conner, who hails from Russell Springs, Kentucky, was crowned Miss USA in April of 2006.

Online gambling websites were contemplating offering odds on if and when Tara Conner might be dethroned, included BetUS.com (see website here)

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Sparky Collins, www.gambling911.com

Originally published December 14, 2006 6:38 pm ET