Former DeRidder, Louisiana, Mayor Misty Roberts has been released from prison after serving 90 days of a suspended 10-year sentence for having sex with a 16-year-old boy. Roberts, 44, was freed Monday after a judge rejected prosecutors' request for a more severe penalty last week.
As part of her sentence, Roberts was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, $300 in prosecution costs, and must maintain no contact with the victim or his family. She is a registered Tier 1 sex offender.
Roberts, who was elected as DeRidder's first female mayor in 2018, was found guilty in March of indecent behavior and carnal knowledge of a minor. The roughly three-month sentence has drawn criticism from some locals who felt the consequences were insufficient.
The conviction stemmed from a pool party hosted by Roberts in July 2024. During a week-long trial, the court heard evidence that Roberts supplied alcohol, behaved flirtatiously with her son's best friend, and later engaged in sexual activity with him in a spare room. Another attendee took a photo of the encounter.
Misty Roberts, 44, the former mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, was released from prison after 90 days. Roberts is pictured arriving to court to court in June before she was sentenced
Defense attorney Adam Johnson acknowledged that a photograph of Roberts with the 16-year-old victim was damaging but argued there was no definitive proof of a sex crime. However, jurors deliberated for less than an hour before convicting Roberts.
Roberts was re-elected in 2022 and was still in office when the party occurred. She resigned days before her arrest in August 2024. Her attorney attributed her actions to her 2022 divorce and alcohol abuse.
Roberts's brother, Brandon Lee Roberts, 40, was sentenced in November 2025 to 32 years in prison for raping two young women, one of whom was 13 at the time the abuse began.