Ex-Miss Kentucky gets probation for smuggling marijuana into prison

LIMA, Ohio — A former Miss Kentucky who tried to smuggle a small amount of marijuana into an Ohio prison for her boyfriend won’t have to spend time behind bars.

The Lima News reports 28-year-old Kia Hampton, of Louisville, Kentucky, received probation Wednesday during a hearing in Allen County in western Ohio. Authorities say Hampton was found with a marijuana-filled balloon at the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in May 2017.

While prosecutors pushed for a prison sentence, the judge said Hampton seemed remorseful. She could have received three years in prison.

Hampton was crowned Miss Kentucky in 2010 and became the first black woman to represent the state in the Miss USA pageant.

She told the judge Wednesday she wants a “fresh start” and attributed her behavior to “foolishness.”

Related: Strip search of ex-Miss Kentucky after she dropped balloon of weed at prison visit was wrong says lawyer

Information from: The Lima News