Louisiana mayor accused and arrested for child rape a week after abrupt resignation
Louisiana city's first woman mayor Misty Roberts has been arrested on child rape accusations. She abruptly resigned from her post last week.
fchildA former Louisiana mayor has been arrested for allegedly raping a minor while still in office. The child rape accusations come about a week after she abruptly resigned from her post.
Misty Roberts Clanton, 42, was the first woman to be elected as mayor of the Louisiana city of DeRiddler in 2018. She was charged with third-degree rape and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, Louisiana State Police announced on Thursday, August 1.
The DeRiddler mayor was in her second term when an investigation, opened on July 26, following the Beauregard Parish Sheriff's Office requests to the state police to dig up a complaint against her.
“As the investigation progressed, LSP SVU conducted interviews with two juveniles, one of which was the victim. Both juveniles confirmed Roberts had sexual intercourse with one juvenile victim while employed as Mayor,” the state police statement read.
Reports suggest that the Louisiana State Police had begun investigating the said allegation about Roberts engaging in “sexual relations” with an underage individual who was too young to legally provide consent, as she handed in her resignation on Saturday. However, she did not mention a reason fuelling her decision at the time.
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Louisiana city's first woman mayor arrested: What her attorney had to say
Although a warrant was obtained for her arrest on Wednesday, she surrendered herself on Thursday morning. She was booked into Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office Jail at 10:13 a.m. local time, but over an hour later, she was released on a $75,000 bond, according to jail records.
Roberts' attorney, Adam Johnson, insisted on his client's innocence. “My client learned late last night of a warrant, despite not being contacted to be interviewed prior to investigators obtaining the warrant,” Roberts' lawyer said, per KPLC's reporting. "My client maintains her innocence and, as it stands, she is in fact innocent.”
He also added: “We trust the public will respect her constitutional presumption of innocence which is fundamental to our system of justice. Misty and her family are very grateful for the support they have received from their friends and neighbours and we look forward to putting this unfortunate situation behind them.”
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On the other hand, Roberts' resignation fully omits any mention of the probe. Instead, she underlines her “love and passion for DeRidder" in the letter. She also foregrounded how her role had “rewarded” her with “many great relationships.” Before concluding the note—addressing her resignation, effective immediately—she added: “I must adjust my focus and priorities.”
According to the city's website, the former mayor graduated from DeRiddler High School in 2000 and received a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication, with a focus on public relations, from McNeese State University in 2004. Prior to her appointment as the city's mayor, she was DeRiddler's director of community service for nine years.
Located about 50 miles east of Jasper, Texas, and about 240 miles west of New Orleans, DeRiddler has a population of about 10,000. While the city's next mayoral elections are slated for March, city council president Randy Larken has stepped in as Roberts' temporary replacement for the time being.