Misty Roberts, the former mayor of a small town in Louisiana, was found guilty of having sex with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a pool party where alcohol was present.
On Tuesday, a jury found Roberts guilty of having sex with a minor at a 2024 house party while she was the mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, after deliberating for less than one hour, according to a report by KPLC 7 News.
The 43-year-old, who was charged with carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile — both of them felonies — now has to return to the courthouse on April 17 to receive her sentencing.
Carnal knowledge carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison, with indecent behavior carrying a sentence of up to seven years.
Roberts was reportedly allowed to leave the courthouse because her surety bond had a stipulation that if convicted, the bond would still apply. The former mayor was given a new bond of $100,000 on Tuesday.
During the trial, Roberts’ victim took the stand, telling the jury that he was drunk when the two of them had sex.
Roberts’ son and nephew also testified, saying they saw the former DeRidder mayor and the boy together, adding that they did not know whether sexual intercourse had transpired.
“I told y’all at the beginning of the trial that a lewd and lascivious photo is worth a thousand words,” prosecutor Charles Robinson reportedly said at the beginning of his closing arguments.
“Here, you have it,” Robinson added, before showing the jury “rapid-fire exhibits of evidence” that he said revealed both lewd and lascivious actions confirming Roberts’ guilt, KPLC 7 News reported.
The photo at the center of the trial had shown the victim and Roberts — who resigned as mayor of DeRidder just days before her 2024 arrest — together, partially hidden by furniture.
The disgraced former mayor’s legal team, meanwhile, had claimed that parts of the case were not properly investigated by authorities, with defense attorney Adam Johnson saying the state failed to probe surveillance footage from Roberts’ house, as well as potential DNA evidence and witness testimony.
During the trial, a local DoorDash driver testified that he delivered Plan B emergency contraception to Roberts’ residence after the 2024 incident.
Last month, a close friend of Roberts testified that she told the juveniles who claimed they witnessed the sex act to lie about the situation, according to a report by the Lake Charles American Press.
Jill Weaver, who described herself as the one of former mayor’s best friends, admitted to telling her son — Roberts’ nephew — through text messages to “lie ’til you die.”
Weaver also testified to jurors that she had overheard Roberts’ teenage son declaring that his mother “effed his best friend.”
“That whole night was a lot,” she said. “It was chaos.”
In addition to her sentencing next month, Roberts will also be required to register as a Tier 1 sex offender.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
