FORT WAYNE -- A Miss America Pageant hopeful with local ties ended her race for the national crown Thursday after relinquishing her title as Miss Oregon.

Rachel Berry, a 2006 graduate of Carroll High School and a former Miss Allen County, was crowned Miss Oregon earlier this month, but, following a post-pageant investigation, was unable to prove she was a resident of the state six months prior to competing in a qualifying regional pageant in April.

According to Fort Wayne resident Jim Berry – Rachel’s dad – his daughter’s residency was not at issue until after she’d already won both the regional and state pageants.

“Rachel thought she was meeting all the requirements, all along,” Jim Berry said. “She received confirmation from the pageant director that she had satisfied the requirement. But, when push came to shove, she wasn’t able to provide any official documentation.”

Because of a non-disclosure agreement between Berry and the Miss Oregon Scholarship Pageant, Berry is not permitted to speak with the media.

Following Berry’s win, pageant officials requested proof of residency in the form of a driver’s license, income tax return or motor vehicle registration, Jim Berry said.

“She won, fair and square,” he said. “Unfortunately, this was a technicality they hadn’t told her about.”

The Miss Oregon Scholarship Pageant did not return phone calls Thursday.

Relinquishing her title as Miss Oregon means Berry must return the prizes she won from both pageants, including $11,400 in scholarship money. It also disqualifies her from competing in the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas in January.

Berry, 24, will be too old to compete next year.

“Age-wise, this was her last chance,” Jim Berry said. “She is extremely disappointed.”

Berry, who received a journalism degree from Chapmen University in Orange, Calif., is currently living in Oregon, pursuing a career in broadcast journalism. She is also working on a book about “pursuing your dreams,” Jim Berry said.

“This situation will make for an interesting chapter in the book,” he said. “In the large scheme of things, this is just a blip for her. But it’s a disappointment too.”

edowns@jg.net