A now-former Louisiana mayor facing allegations that she sexually assaulted a minor while in office says she is innocent.
Misty Dawn Clanton Roberts, 42, stands accused of one count each of rape in the third degree and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, according to law enforcement in the Pelican State.
The defendant was arrested by Louisiana State Police and booked into the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.
On July 27, Roberts informally resigned as mayor of DeRidder, a small town roughly 50 miles north of Lake Charles. She was in the middle of her second term as the municipality’s executive, winning reelection with 60% of the vote in 2022.
Under Louisiana state election law, the secretary of state must receive a signed and notarized letter to formally process a resignation — which reportedly had not occurred as of late last week, city officials told Lake Charles-based newspaper American Press.
The mayor quitting midterm was a bit of a whirlwind.
On July 25, Roberts sent a relatively innocuous letter to the city council announcing she would be “out of the city” for two weeks and left DeRidder Fire Chief Ken Harlow in charge as acting mayor.
But after the resignation letter, rumors swirled across the bayous.
Hellbound and Down 