Louisiana mayor arrested on child rape accusations after abrupt resignation
Misty Roberts left post days before being jailed for third-degree rape and contributing to delinquency of minors
www.theguardian.com
Louisiana mayor arrested on child rape accusations after abrupt resignation
Misty Roberts left post days before being jailed for third-degree rape and contributing to delinquency of minors
Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans
Fri 2 Aug 2024 09.55 EDTLast modified on Fri 2 Aug 2024 12.22 EDT
Misty Roberts, until recently mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana. Photograph: City of DeRidder
The mayor of a Louisiana city near the state’s border with Texas abruptly resigned from her post days before authorities jailed her on suspicion of raping a boy while she served in office.
Misty Roberts became the first woman to be elected as mayor of DeRidder in 2018, and she was well into her second term in the position when she handed in her resignation – with immediate effect – to the local city council on Saturday.
The letter did not provide a reason for Roberts’s decision. But the day before, Louisiana state police had begun investigating an allegation that Roberts engaged in “sexual relations” with a minor who was too young to be able to legally provide consent, according to a news release from the agency.
An attorney for Misty Roberts said the former DeRidder mayor was ‘in fact innocent’. Photograph: Louisiana State Police
Investigators said they interviewed the alleged victim as well as one other child. Both confirmed Roberts “had sexual intercourse with one juvenile victim while employed as mayor”, the state police statement said.
Troopers obtained a warrant to arrest Roberts on one count each of third-degree rape and contributing to the delinquency of minors. She surrendered to state police on Thursday morning and – about an hour later – was released from custody on a $75,000 bond pending the outcome of the case.
The more serious of the counts that Roberts faces is third-degree rape, which can carry up to 25 years in prison. While state police provided few additional details of the allegations against her, such cases in Louisiana can involve victims who are too intoxicated to be able to legally consent to sex.
Meanwhile, one of Louisiana’s definitions for contributing to the delinquency of juveniles is enticing a child to perform any sexually immoral act. It can carry two years in prison in certain cases.
An attorney for Roberts, Adam Johnson, issued a statement declaring the former DeRidder mayor “in fact innocent”.
“And we trust the public will respect her constitutional presumption of innocence which is fundamental to our system of justice,” Johnson’s statement said. “Misty and her family are very grateful for the support they have received from their friends and neighbors and we look forward to putting this unfortunate situation behind them.”
Roberts’s resignation letter had made no mention of the criminal investigation that ultimately led to her arrest. In the missive, she said her mayoral role had rewarded her “great relationships” and a sense of pride.
“However, I must adjust my focus and priorities,” wrote Roberts, a divorced mother who does not list any political party affiliation and publicly spoke in May to Louisiana news outlet BestOfSWLA.com about having gone through a divorce.
“To the residents of the city: Thank you for your trust, love and support in me to lead our city into our future of greatness. My love for DeRidder will never [waver].”
The DeRidder city council president, Randy Larken, was left in line to act as Roberts’s temporary replacement. The city’s next mayoral election is scheduled for March.
DeRidder has a population of about 10,000. The city is about 50 miles (80km) east of Jasper, Texas, and about 240 miles west of New Orleans.
