Former Louisiana Mayor Misty Roberts has completed the 90-day jail sentence she received for raping a 16-year-old boy while still in elected office and has been released, according to state prison records. The 44-year-old woman finished her prison sentence on Monday, the US Labor Day holiday, a week after the judge presiding over her case rejected a request by prosecutors to force her to serve a harsher sentence. Judge Kent Savoie based Roberts’ sentence on a list of more than 30 cases that were resolved through plea agreements, as opposed to his prosecution, which culminated in a jury trial and guilty verdict, Louisiana news station KPLC reported. Recently, the judge had publicly acknowledged that this was a mistake. “I asked someone to get me a list of similar cases,” the judge said at a court hearing on August 31, according to KPLC. “I made an assumption, and that assumption was wrong. I was wrong in that sense.” However, the outlet reported, Savoie indicated that he would not punish Roberts for exercising her right to be tried rather than first pleading guilty. underage victim while drinking alcohol at a pool party at her home in July 2024. Roberts was mayor of the city of DeRidder at the time of the crime, serving in office since 2018. She resigned days before authorities arrested her in early August 2024. Meanwhile, the victim was a local high school student who was friends with Roberts’ son, a key witness in the case. Roberts’ three-month jail sentence sparked controversy in DeRidder and beyond. for its brevity. DeRidder resident Kari McGee told local television news outlet KALB, “When it comes to children, we must use the full extent of the law. There are no excuses when it comes to our children.” Another DeRidder resident, Ryan Clark, told KALB that Roberts’ short sentence was “an insult.” Roberts also had to register as a sex offender, pay $5,000 in fines, undergo regular drug testing, and undergo psychotropic and psychological therapy after his release. from custody. He would have to simultaneously serve two suspended five-year prison sentences if he also violates his release conditions. Roberts addressed Savoie at his sentencing on June 9, saying, according to KPLC: “I blame myself then, I blame myself today, and I will blame myself for the rest of my life. I let a lot of people down, and I’m the only person responsible for that.” I can’t shake the shame that so many bad people on the Internet have put them through.” The victim’s mother provided an impact statement in which she called Roberts “a predator with hair extensions, high heels [and] Botox.” “Stay away from my family,” the victim’s mother reportedly told Roberts.
