A former Louisiana mayor is facing the consequences of what prosecutors describe as a sexual encounter with a teenage boy at an alcohol-fueled pool party — an encounter her own children reportedly witnessed firsthand.
Misty Roberts, 43, stood trial last week in Beauregard Parish on charges of third-degree rape stemming from a 2024 incident involving a 16-year-old boy.
Roberts previously served as mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, a city of approximately 9,800 residents located roughly 20 miles east of the Texas border, where she was in her second term at the time of the alleged offense.
The teenage boy at the center of the case was a friend of Roberts’ son, and the alleged encounter took place at a pool party Roberts hosted.
A member of the victim’s friend group testified that the teen appeared visibly intoxicated during the gathering and vomited at some point during the evening.
That same witness described Roberts as dancing with and flirting with the teenage victim throughout the party.
A photograph presented to jurors showed Roberts at the party wearing a bikini, with the teenage victim looking up at her and smiling.
Roberts’ own daughter told a group of teens that night that she witnessed her mother and the minor kissing near the pool, according to testimony from one of the victim’s friends. That witness further stated he personally observed Roberts and the teen engaged in a sex act.
Roberts’ son told investigators he saw his mother having sex with his friend through a gap in a window, reported KPLC. In a subsequent court appearance, however, he stated he was not entirely certain about what he had witnessed that night.
Text messages presented by prosecutors showed Roberts’ son texting her that evening, informing her that his sister was in tears over what was unfolding. In those messages, the son wrote, “He is seventeen.” Authorities later confirmed the victim was 16 years old at the time.
Roberts’ daughter also took the stand, and prosecutors played her recorded interview with detectives in which she stated she saw her mother and the teen boy “on top of each other” during the party.
KPLC reported that following the alleged encounter, the victim’s mother contacted Roberts by text message to confirm Roberts was not pregnant. Roberts replied that she was on birth control. Prosecutors told jurors Roberts then shared a screenshot of that exchange in a group chat with friends, who encouraged her to take Plan B, an over-the-counter emergency contraceptive.
A DoorDash driver testified that he accepted a delivery order from an account listed as “Misty C” to purchase emergency contraception and leave it at a residence. The driver stated he recognized the home from taking his children trick-or-treating there and later connected the delivery to Roberts after hearing community rumors about the allegations.
Duncan Clanton, Roberts’ former husband, took the stand and testified that Roberts told him directly she had engaged in a sexual act with the minor and that her children had witnessed it. Clanton stated his son later confirmed to him what Roberts had said.
Text messages exchanged between the former couple were shown in court. KPLC reported that in those messages, Clanton urged Roberts to deny the incident if confronted at a town council meeting and described her as a “great mom.”
Roberts replied, “I can’t keep hurting others, friends and family. Lord knows I’ve done enough.” During cross-examination, Clanton was asked whether he still believed Roberts to be a great mother.
He answered, “No.”
Other messages shown in court included Roberts asking her son what kind of alcohol he and his friends wanted for the party.
Following the altercation and subsequent yelling that erupted after Roberts and the teen came downstairs, Roberts resigned from the mayor’s office within days of police opening their investigation.
She faces charges of third-degree rape and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.
This proceeding marks Roberts’ second trial. The first ended in a mistrial after two Beauregard Parish judges were removed from the case due to alleged connections to her ex-husband.
Roberts was arraigned on the current charges earlier this year.
The trial is scheduled to resume Monday, according to media reports.
