Former DeRidder Mayor Misty Roberts, convicted of multiple sex crimes after a 2024 party in which she was charged with having sex with her son’s 16-year-old friend, was ordered by a judge Tuesday to serve 90 days in the parish jail.
Judge Kent Savoie, who sits on the Third Circuit Court of Appeal, presided over the trial and sentenced Roberts. He acted as an ad hoc district judge for the case because of the
Savoie sentenced Roberts five years in prison for each charge with the time to be served concurrently, but he suspended the sentence. He instead ordered Roberts to 90 days in the parish jail and to pay a $5,000 fine.
He also ordered Roberts to abstain from drugs and alcohol, to submit to random drug screenings, to pay monthly supervision fees and to have no contact with victim and his family. If she violates any of the conditions of a five-year probation, she’ll serve 10 years in prison.
State prosecutors asked for Roberts to receive the maximum sentence — ten years for one charge and seven years for another — while her defense attorneys requested a suspended sentence.
Before sentencing, the judge heard victim impact statements from the 16-year-old victim’s mother, two older sisters and cousin. They said the victim has struggled with panic attacks in the aftermath of the 2024 party, missed a lot of school and that they have worried about him harming himself.
“The person responsible took many things from our family,” said the victim’s mom, who described Roberts as a child predator. “She will not take our son’s future.”
Her address to the courtroom ended with a message to Roberts: “Stay the hell away from my family.”
Roberts also addressed the courtroom before her sentencing Tuesday.
“I have sat with the consequences of my actions for nearly two years,” the former mayor said.
“I blamed myself that day,” Roberts added. “I blame myself today, and I will blame myself for the rest of my life.”
A psychologist from Lafayette, Sasha Joy Lambert, assessed Roberts and testified that she has a low risk of reoffending and would benefit from specialized, long-term treatment.
As he read out Roberts’ sentence, Savoie said he did not believe she took full responsibility for her actions. He said Roberts told the children who witnessed the crimes to lie or be quiet, minimized her involvement and, to some extent, blamed the victim.
Although prosecutors asked the court to consider Roberts’ position of authority as mayor at the time of the crimes, Savoie said he did not do so because there was no evidence she used her influence as an elected official. Instead, she “used her position in that she was the sole adult present” trusted with supervising the teens at the party, he said.
Savoie determined the sentence by considering Roberts’ lack of prior criminal history, low risk for reoffending and the sentences given by other judges in Beauregard Parish for similar crimes, he said. He also considered the victim impact statements, attorney arguments and how the crimes affected the victim’s family and Roberts’ family.
Prosecutor Charles Robinson objected to the “lenient” sentence and declined to comment after the hearing.
"There's no way an elected official can have sex with a child and not go to jail," Robinson said before the sentencing.
Roberts’ defense attorneys said she won't post a $150,000 appeal bond for the 90 days in parish jail.
“She wants to get it over with,” said defense attorney Adam Johnson said after court adjourned. “She doesn't want it hanging over her head.”
Johnson and his co-counselor, Todd Clemons, said they were disappointed by the conviction but could tell Savoie put a lot of thought into the sentencing.
“The sentence could have been much worse,” Johnson said.
Roberts found guilty in March
A jury on March 3 found Roberts guilty of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile, both felony charges. The panel of six jurors deliberated for less than an hour after hearing five days of arguments, witness testimony and evidence presentation in .
Roberts initially walked free on bond after her conviction while she waited for sentencing.
Witnesses testified that Roberts provided alcohol to her teenage son, nephew and their friends during a July 2024 party before having sex with one of their friends.
The 16-year-old victim testified that he was drunk the night of the party when Roberts told him he looked good, winked at him, danced with him, took a photo with him, grabbed him and kissed him. The victim said he felt dizzy and strange, and when Roberts said they shouldn’t continue kissing outside, he asked if they could go upstairs. The victim testified that they had sex upstairs in the game room, and it wasn’t until afterward that he realized what was happening.
Roberts’ son, nephew and a friend testified that they went upstairs and saw the mayor and their friend having sex through blinds in a window of the game room. When Roberts and the victim came downstairs, Roberts and her son got into an argument, witnesses said.
The victim's cousin lost friendships because he "chose to tell the truth," according to a victim impact statement read by Robinson.
"The emotional scars...extend far beyond the courtroom," the statement said.
In her statement to the court Tuesday, the victim's mother said Roberts preyed on children, but instead of using a van and candy, Roberts had hair extensions and heels.
"She's not sorry for what she did," the victim's mother told the courtroom. "She's only sorry it got out."
The victim's mother said her son missed half his high school years because of the crimes, noting that he didn't want to go to school and continues to face ridicule. An opposing baseball team member referred to her son as "the mayor slayer," she said.
Roberts resigned from her elected position a few days before her August 2024 arrest.
Former mayor was ‘scared to death,’ text messages said
The defense portrayed a case built around rumors shared by teenagers in a small town.
Johnson asked his client’s son if he actually saw his mother having sex with his friend. Roberts’ son said he could not confirm it, but it looked like it from what he saw.
Text messages between Roberts and her nephew the day after indicate the mayor was “scared to death,” although Clemons pointed out that she did not explicitly refer to having sex with the boy.
A DoorDash driver also testified that he delivered Plan B emergency contraceptive for a customer named Misty to the mayor’s address a few days before she was arrested.
Duncan Clanton, Roberts’ ex-husband, testified that she told him directly that she had sex with the 16-year-old boy, and that they were caught in the act.
During her statement Tuesday, Roberts recalled how she promised to "put DeRidder on the map" as mayor and said she didn't do it in the way she should have.
"What an embarrassment I've been to this city," she told the courtroom.
Roberts said everything she did in the aftermath was out of fear of losing her children. She asked the judge for "grace and mercy" and to be allowed to be a mother to her children ahead of the sentencing.
Lambert, the psychologist, said she did not see a pattern of attraction to children based on her assessment of Roberts.
When questioned about whether Roberts took full accountability for her actions, Lambert hesitated to answer, saying Roberts only said she behaved inappropriately with a juvenile but did not say she had sex with him. The judge told Lambert that a jury heard evidence and convicted her of having sex with him, and then asked Lambert whether Roberts had accepted full responsibility.
Lambert's response of "no" was met by applause from the crowded courtroom.
Johnson told the judge his client is not a predator and all evidence points to her being involved in a one-time mistake that happened during a mental breakdown. She is now a registered sex offender and has faced public scrutiny as her punishment, Johnson said. He encouraged the judge to tune out public pressure.
"No matter what you do, the rage will never settle," Johnson said.