A 44-year-old former Louisiana mayor convicted of sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy has been released from jail after serving 90 days, according to court records.
Misty Roberts, 44, is the former mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana.
A jury convicted Roberts in March of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a minor, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors proved at trial that the former mayor sexually abused the 16-year-old victim in July 2024, court records show.
The teenager was a high school student and a friend of Roberts’ son, according to prosecutors.
Roberts was still serving as the sitting mayor when the abuse occurred, authorities said. She resigned from office shortly before her arrest in August 2024.
The former mayor faced up to 17 years in prison on the charges, prosecutors said. Instead, Judge Kent Savoie sentenced her to serve three months in jail, court records show.
Savoie also sentenced Roberts to two five-year suspended prison sentences to run concurrently, according to court records.
Controversy later arose over how the judge arrived at the three-month jail term, court records show.
When determining the former mayor’s punishment, Savoie requested examples of similar cases and was given a list of more than 30 cases resolved through plea deals, according to court records.
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Roberts had not accepted a plea deal in her case, however. She went to trial and was convicted by a jury, court records show.
Savoie later publicly acknowledged that his assumption regarding the comparison cases had been wrong, court records show.
“I made an assumption, and that assumption was wrong. I was wrong in that respect,” Savoie said.
Prosecutors asked Savoie to impose a harsher sentence on Roberts, court records show. The judge declined to change the sentence.
The former mayor completed her 90-day jail term and was released on Labor Day, officials said.
Under the terms of her sentence, Roberts must register as a sex offender and pay $5,000 in fines, according to court records.
She is also required to undergo treatment and regular drug screenings and comply with additional conditions, records state.
If Roberts violates those conditions, the suspended five-year prison sentences could come into play, court records show.
The victim’s mother addressed the former mayor at sentencing, describing her as “a predator with hair extensions, high heels and Botox.”
“Stay the hell away from my family,” the mother said.
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