Louisiana Ex-Mayor Gets 90 Days in Rape of Boy, 16

UPDATE Jun 10, 2026 12:29 PM CDT

The former mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, who was found guilty of statutory rape and misconduct in an incident involving a 16-year-old boy will serve 90 days in jail for the crime. As KPLC-TV reports, Misty Roberts had faced up to 17 years for having sex with her son's friend while in office last July. She must pay a $5,000 fine, register as a sex offender, serve a five-year suspended sentence, and five years of probation. "I don't think the sentence that was imposed reflects the severity of the crimes," said Beauregard Parish District Attorney James Lestage. Neighbors agreed, with one telling KALB the sentence was "an insult to the actual victim and the family." Said Roberts, "What an embarrassment I've been to this city." "I blame myself then, I blame myself today, and I will blame myself for the rest of my life."

Mar 5, 2026 12:45 PM CST

Louisiana's first female mayor of DeRidder has now become its most notorious former officeholder. A jury on Tuesday convicted 43-year-old Misty Roberts of statutory rape and indecent behavior with a minor, finding she sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy at a July 2024 pool party at her home while she was still mayor. Jurors in DeRidder deliberated less than an hour after a weeklong trial, reports the Guardian. Roberts now faces up to 17 years in prison at a sentencing hearing set for April 17; she will have to register as a sex offender, notes the New York Post. She remains free on a $75,000 bond.

The teen testified that he and Roberts had been drinking heavily when she began kissing him by the pool, then took him upstairs and raped him, according to local outlet KPLC. Her children and a nephew said they saw Roberts and the boy together that night, though not the assault itself. A DoorDash driver told jurors he delivered the emergency contraceptive Plan B to Roberts' home afterward. Prosecutors also presented messages in which Roberts allegedly urged her children and nephew to lie about what they saw, including one text that read, "Lie 'til you die."

Roberts' ex-husband testified that she admitted what happened, and trial evidence included texts in which she appeared to acknowledge wrongdoing: "I f---ed up. And I respect you enough to tell you," one message cited in a criminal complaint said. Her attorneys said they respected but were "disappointed" in the verdict and asked the public to remember "there's a real person and family living through it."