Louisiana Festival Queen Has Crown Stolen

No this isn't some backwater Breaux Bridge Toddlers and Tiara's kind of drama from along the Louisiana Bayous, this is a real crime involving a real queen and her crown and we can't let the bad guys get away with doing this.

Courtesy Slidell PD

Besides, what would a ne'er do well crown thief need with a festival crown? Unless they have a black market connection to King Charles at Buckingham Palace in London, I would think the "re-sale market for stolen crowns" isn't that great.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Based on reports out of Baton Rouge the crown for the Louisiana Pirate Festival Queen has been stolen. Reigning Pirate Festival Queen told KPLC Television in Lake Charles, the home of the Pirate Festival, about the incident.

According to McKinley Cobb, she went out to her car in the morning following her return to Baton Rouge after a late-night event. Cobb told KPLC TV that she left the crown and other items locked in the trunk of her car. When she went out to her vehicle the following morning that's when she discovered that her vehicle had been compromised.

Among the items pilfered from the pageant queen were her crown, the crown box, a banner, and a pin. Cobb estimates the value of the stolen items to be about $5,000. Meanwhile, festival organizers in Lake Charles have gone on record as saying they would simply like to have the stolen items returned.

McKinley Cobb via Facebook

The crown has been a symbol of the Pirate Festival for years and is passed down from queen to queen so the items must be returned. Baton Rouge police are working the investigation as we speak and it's hoped the crown and other items will be returned and not damaged.

If you have information on who may have taken the crown and the other items you're encouraged to call Baton Rouge Police. Meanwhile, Louisiana Pirate Festival organizers are still in the planning stages for this year's event. The current thinking suggests a scaled-back version of the festival following last year's postponement. Although, according to the festival website, a date for 2024 has not been announced.

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Gallery Credit: Scott Clow