Former DeRidder Mayor Misty Roberts is on trial in Beauregard Parish on felony charges tied to allegations that she had sex with a teenage boy during a 2024 pool party at her home, a case that has turned on what her children said they saw and what prosecutors call a trail of messages and photos.
Roberts, 43, has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say the evidence shows a night where teens drank, adults lost control, and the mayor crossed a legal line with a 16-year-old boy. The defense says the case grew out of rumors and shifting stories, and it has highlighted how hard it can be to sort out truth when the key witnesses are teenagers and family members under stress.
Testimony in DeRidder has centered on a late night at Roberts’ house, where witnesses said teens gathered near the pool and moved in and out of the home. Prosecutors say the allegation came to light when Roberts’ children became upset and tried to get adults to intervene. Jurors have heard about frantic texts from Roberts’ son, including messages describing his younger sister crying and warning that what was happening was out of control. Prosecutors argue those real time reactions show the children believed something serious was unfolding. The defense has pointed jurors to uncertainty in later interviews and to conflicting accounts about where people stood, what they could see through doors and windows, and how much anyone had been drinking.
In opening statements, Assistant District Attorney Charles Robinson told jurors the investigation uncovered text messages involving the boy’s mother and an image he described as important to the case. Robinson said the evidence includes a photo of Roberts and the teen on the night of the party and messages that prosecutors say reveal panic afterward. Robinson told jurors a “lewd and lascivious” picture can speak for itself. Prosecutors also said the boy’s mother later texted Roberts with a question about pregnancy and that Roberts replied she was on birth control. Robinson said jurors would hear from a delivery driver connected to emergency contraception sent to Roberts’ home after the night in question.
That driver, a DoorDash worker, testified that an order came from a name he recognized as connected to Roberts and that he was asked to buy Plan B and leave it at the front door. He said he knew the house because he had taken his children there while trick or treating. Jurors were also shown photos from the party, including images of teenagers near the pool holding drinks. Prosecutors have described another photo as inappropriate, and jurors saw an image showing Roberts in a bikini while the teen looked up at her and smiled. Prosecutors have argued that, taken together, the photo, the texts, and later witness statements add up to a clear picture of what happened and how adults reacted when they feared it might become public.
Some of the most contested testimony has come from Roberts’ children. Jurors watched a recorded interview in which Roberts’ son said he saw his mother having sex with his friend through a small opening. On the witness stand, he later told jurors he could not be certain that was what he saw, a shift the defense has highlighted. Jurors also heard a recorded interview with Roberts’ daughter in which she said she saw her mother and the teen “on top of each other” that night. A nephew testified that he tried to use his phone to check what was happening, but said he did not know if he recorded anything and said he did not share a video. Witnesses said they did not see explicit nudity, a point the defense has used to question what, if anything, was proven beyond doubt.
Jurors also heard from Jill Weaver, described in testimony as Roberts’ lifelong best friend and former sister in law. Weaver said she went to the house twice that night, arriving around 8 p.m. and leaving around 11 p.m., then returning around 2 a.m. Weaver testified Roberts was the most drunk she had ever seen her. When Weaver returned later, she said Roberts was yelling and accusing Weaver’s son of having a video. Weaver testified the teenagers showed their phones to prove they did not have a video and described the scene as chaotic. Weaver also testified the night took a darker turn, saying Roberts began talking about wanting to kill herself. Weaver said Roberts told her the next day she did not remember what had happened.
Prosecutors used Weaver’s testimony to suggest adults tried to keep the incident from reaching police. Weaver acknowledged she likely told kids not to talk about what happened. Asked if she discussed keeping police out of it, she answered, “Probably,” according to the courtroom account. Prosecutors also showed jurors a message Weaver sent to her own son that said “lie till you die.” Weaver said she could not be certain what happened between Roberts and the teen. Under cross examination, defense attorney Adam Johnson asked Weaver about stress in Roberts’ life at the time, including a divorce and a custody fight, and Weaver agreed Roberts had been under heavy strain.
Roberts’ ex-husband, Duncan Clanton, testified that Roberts confessed to him that she had sex with the teen and that the children caught them. Clanton said Roberts asked him to call the boy’s family to gauge their reaction, and he said he did. Jurors also saw text messages between Clanton and Roberts from the days after the party. In one exchange, Clanton suggested denying the allegation if it came up at a city council meeting. In another message, Roberts asked him to deny it. Clanton testified he would not lie, but said he avoided the subject. Prosecutors also brought out testimony that a city council member, Joseph Daniel Reynolds, called Clanton about the allegation, and Clanton texted Roberts that he had played dumb and denied knowing anything.
The defense has argued Clanton had reasons to be biased because of the couple’s custody dispute, and lawyers questioned him about court filings and bond conditions that affected Roberts’ contact with her children. The trial has also revisited earlier controversy involving the local judiciary. Defense attorneys have raised concerns about how the case was handled before trial, including issues tied to Judge Martha O’Neal, who was removed after it was disclosed she had presided over both criminal proceedings and a custody case and had exchanged personal texts with Clanton without Roberts or her attorneys being informed. The defense has pressed jurors to view key witnesses through the lens of family conflict, small town pressure, and anger that spilled into social media.
The case has been delayed repeatedly and reshaped by appeals and charging decisions. Louisiana State Police said the investigation began after the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office requested help from the agency’s Special Victims Unit in July 2024. Police said Roberts turned herself in on Aug. 1, 2024, and was booked on third degree rape and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles. As the case moved forward, prosecutors pursued the matter through grand jury proceedings that later became the subject of court fights. Appeals courts ruled that recused judges had overseen parts of the grand jury process, leading to key indictments being tossed out and a mistrial being declared as a previous trial was starting.
Roberts is now being tried on felony charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile. The trial is before a six-person jury, and attorneys have told jurors the case depends on whether the evidence and testimony prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Pretrial hearings also focused on the state police investigation itself. A lead investigator testified she formatted a recording device and lost some witness interviews, and defense lawyers argued the missing recordings could matter. The investigator also acknowledged using blunt language with a parent, a detail the defense says shows pressure on witnesses. The judge has urged discretion in reporting about testimony because children are involved.
In DeRidder, a small city near the Texas line, the trial has carried political weight as well as personal damage. Roberts resigned as mayor days before her 2024 arrest. In court, jurors have heard repeated references to how quickly talk can travel in a small town, including a message shown to jurors in which Roberts complained about the town as the situation spiraled. Prosecutors say the story is not about gossip but about what adults allowed at a party and what happened afterward. The defense says the state is relying on tangled memories and secondhand stories that changed as rumors spread, with Johnson telling jurors, “Rumor became the story, and story became the press release.”
As of Sunday, the case had not gone to the jury. Court is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Monday, March 2, with additional witnesses expected as prosecutors continue presenting evidence and the defense prepares to challenge credibility and the timeline of what happened at the party.
Author note: Last updated March 1, 2026.