NEW YORK (AP) – The organizers of the Miss USA pageant on Thursday said they are evaluating the “behavioral and personal issues” of the reigning winner but she has not been stripped of her tiara.

“Miss USA Tara Conner has not been dethroned,” said Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization.

Shugart did not say what the Kentucky native had done to prompt the serious evaluation by the organization, which, along with the Miss USA pageant, is owned by Donald Trump and NBC.

But Shugart’s statement comes on the heels of a report that 20-year-old Tara Conner, who lives in New York, had been frequenting local bars, conduct deemed unbecoming of a Miss USA, putting her reign in jeopardy.

“The Miss Universe Organization and Mr. Donald J. Trump will be evaluating her behavioral and personal issues to see what we can do to work with her and what we will do about her reign going forward,” Shugart said. “Mr. Trump will make a determination and announcement within the coming week.”

Miss USA is considered a role model and must act accordingly, Miss Universe Organization spokeswoman Lark-Marie Anton said. Behavior such as underage drinking is clearly prohibited, she said.

Conner, a 5-foot-5 blonde, has been competing in pageants since age 4. She won the title of Young Miss Russell County in Kentucky at the county fair when she was 13, and by 2002 she was second runner-up in Miss Teen USA. She finished fourth in the Miss Universe pageant in July.

Conner’s “dream job is to be a television host” and “be the next Kelly Ripa,” she told the Miss USA Web site.

In an interview, Trump declined to discuss Conner’s behavior.

“I can’t really talk about it now,” Trump said. “But we have to make a decision. There is no question about that.”

Trump said if Conner gets the boot first runner-up Miss California Tamiko Nash would take over as Miss USA.

This wouldn’t be the first time Trump has dealt with such a scenario. In 2002, Russia’s Oxana Fedorova won but was stripped of her title after violating her contract.

“We had a Miss Universe from Russia that was a total disaster, and we fired her, and Miss Panama took over and she did great,” Trump said.

Trump said he had not spoken with Conner.

A telephone message left for Conner with her grandmother was not immediately returned Thursday.

—

On the Net:

Miss USA: http://www.missusa.com