N.J. Beauty Queen: “I'm Innocent”

Ashley Fuhrmeister wants to climb the beauty queen career ladder.

But her police record's getting in the way.

The Secret Service and North Wildwood police arrested Ashley and her mother last week.

They're accused of making and using bogus $50 bills at Wawa stores in Wildwood and North Wildwood.
   
But Ashley, 21, says she’s innocent and so is mom. She says her ex-boyfriend gave her mother money to buy his cigarettes and that neither of the women knew the money was fake.

The ex, John Laughlin, is the third suspect.

The counterfeit case may wreck Ashley's dreams of broadening her beauty pageant horizons.

She was Miss North Wildwood in 2007 and really wants to compete in the Miss Cape May pageant this summer, "but with all this going on," Ashley says, "I really don't know what's going to happen."

After all the good memories from her Miss North Wildwood days -- riding in parades, waving to admiring crowds, raising money for a good cause -- Ashley says now she feels like she's been "drug through the mud a bit." 

"I've never been on this side, my name's only been in the newspapers or the news for good things I've done."

Contact Us