Misty Roberts, the former mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, has been found guilty of raping a 16-year-old boy during a pool party at her home in July 2024. The 43-year-old was convicted on Tuesday of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behaviour with a minor, felonies carrying sentences of up to 10 and seven years in prison respectively.
The jury deliberated for less than an hour following a seven-day trial. Testimony revealed that Roberts and the victim had been drinking heavily at the party. The boy, who was too young to legally consent, testified that Roberts flirted with him by the pool, kissed him, and later took him upstairs and raped him. Roberts's children and nephew testified that they saw the pair together but did not witness the assault.
Evidence presented included a DoorDash driver delivering the emergency contraceptive Plan B to Roberts's home. Roberts allegedly instructed her children and nephew to lie about what they saw, texting one: “Lie ‘til you die.” Her ex-husband, Duncan Clanton, testified that she confessed to him, and text messages cited in court included: “I fucked up.”
Roberts resigned as mayor one day after the investigation began. She was released on a $75,000 bond pending sentencing. Her attorneys expressed disappointment with the verdict, stating: “Behind every headline, there’s a real person and family living through it.”
In an unrelated case, Roberts's brother, Brandon Lee Roberts, pleaded guilty in October to raping two people and received a 42-year prison sentence. Misty Roberts made history in 2018 as DeRidder's first female mayor and was re-elected in 2022. She had spoken in May 2024 about facing personal challenges, including hurricanes, divorce, and a bereavement.
