Former Miss El Paso Accused of Shoplifting
A former Miss El Paso has been charged with shoplifting for allegedly boosting a $69 shirt from a store called Dillard’s at the Sunland Park Mall in El Paso, Texas last week.
Police arrested the former beauty queen, 21-year old Lorena Tavera on Friday after store workers noticed her stealing the shirt and followed her outside claiming she had hidden it in a plastic shopping bag.
She was then confronted and detained until police arrived.
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Tavera was booked early Saturday into El Paso County Jail and released in the afternoon after posting bond according to Jail records.
Tavera denied the theft allegation on Monday and plans to contact an attorney in her defense.
She also currently has two outstanding traffic court warrants according to El Paso County Jail records.
Channel 9-KTSM, who contacted Tavera on Monday regarding the theft, quoted her saying that the details of the incident were “misconstrued, and it’s twisted.”
She made no other comments regarding the incident.
Tavera was Miss El Paso in 2008. She also was crowned Miss El Paso Teen USA in 2006. Two years later she came in sixth place in the Miss Texas USA pageant.
According to her online biography, she is currently attending the University of Texas at El Paso and hopes to start a marketing company to promote fashion designers.
Tavera was also listed as an instructor for Laura’s Productions, a local modeling company.
This is not the first time a beauty queen has been arrested by El Paso police. Back in April 2009, Raelene Aguilar, Miss New Mexico USA 2008 was arrested in Downtown El Paso on a drunken driving charge.
But the charge against her was dropped after eight months due to insufficient evidence.
