Support Rallies Behind Brito In Pageant Crown Affair
By Fran Paolinelli
LEONA VALLEY – As the family of a 15-year-old girl seeks legal counsel, her friends, the community she represents and supporters throughout the entire Antelope Valley spoke out against the attempt of the Jr. Miss Antelope Valley Pageant directors to strip her of the title.

 

Aspen Brito was crowned Jr. Miss AV Sunday night only to have a pageant director call two hours later to demand the crown back and that Aspen step down as winner.


Brito won the competition, which included Jr. Miss contestants from various communities around Antelope Valley.


However, According to Brito’s mother, Denise, after the pageant was over the father of one of the contestants obtained a list of the girls’ birth dates and discovered that Aspen was 20 days past the age limit for the Jr. Miss contest.



“A parent, who we have had problems with through the whole process, was upset his daughter didn’t win. He immediately went to the pageant directors and demanded that Aspen be stripped of her title,” said Denise Brito.



Because the pageant directors had copies of her daughter’s birth certificate and never told Aspen she would be too old when the pageant was actually held, the Brito family decided to seek legal counsel.

 

Upon hearing of Aspen’s ordeal, members of the community have spoken out in her support and some even demanded that the Jr. Miss AV pageant directors be stripped of their position and be replaced.

 

As Jr. Miss Leona Valley, Aspen was required to enter the Jr. Miss AV pageant as well as present a copy of her birth certificate to pageant directors so they could verify that she was of the proper age to enter the contest.

 

In the meantime, Susie McGuffee, director of Jr. Miss Leona Valley pageant, said that she and the Leona Valley community are supporting Aspen 100 percent.

 

“I am working closely with the family to resolve this issue. However, whatever solution we come up with will have to be approved by the Jr. Miss AV Pageant directors,” McGuffee said.

 

“Our community is going to stand behind Aspen 100 percent,” she added.

 

McGuffee said she would be meeting with the family on Thursday.

 

Cindy Alcott, the Jr. Miss AV Pageant director who called and told Aspen to return the crown, refused to speak to AV News Tuesday, saying that she would rather consult with an attorney.

 

“I’m not going to comment at all,” Alcott said.

 

AV News has been unable to speak with the other Jr. Miss AV Pageant directors or the father who demanded directors take back the crown from Aspen.