Misty Roberts, the 43-year-old former mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, is on trial again facing charges of third-degree rape and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles after an alleged late-night pool party encounter with a 16-year-old in 2024.

The trial reopened after earlier judicial issues led to a mistrial and the dismissal of the original indictments, followed by a re-indictment and arraignment on the same charges. Roberts has pleaded not guilty and her case has drawn testimony from family members, friends, and teenagers who were present at the gathering. Jurors have been presented with text messages, witness accounts, and a forensic interview played in full for the court.

Several teenage witnesses described Roberts as “talkative and dancing” and “flirting with the teen” during the party, and one teen said he was told he could not leave by two adults identified as Jill Weaver and Roberts herself. The testimony painted a chaotic scene inside the home the night the alleged incident occurred. Prosecutors emphasized the ages of the people involved and the setting in which the teenagers were present.

Roberts resigned as mayor days before her 2024 arrest, and the account that emerged at trial includes the moment her son reportedly walked in on his mother and his 16-year-old friend. The court heard from the son directly via a 2025 forensic interview that was entered into evidence and replayed for the jury. That interview was described by prosecutors as central to their presentation of events.

Her ex-husband, Duncan Clanton, testified that Roberts confessed to him, saying she had sex with the teenage boy and that their children caught them. Clanton also testified he spoke with their son, who corroborated the basic facts as described in court. Text messages between Roberts and Clanton were shown to jurors as part of that sequence of communications.

One text from Roberts read, “I need you to deny it, please.” In response, Clanton wrote that he would advise denial in a specific public context, but when pressed on whether he would lie, he answered simply, “No.” Those exchanges were presented to the jury to show the private communications that followed the alleged incident.

“I can’t keep hurting others, friends and family. Lord knows I’ve done enough.”

The court also heard that Roberts sent a message closer to an admission, captured in the quote above, and jurors weighed that against other testimony during cross-examination. Defense attorney Todd Clemmons asked Clanton whether he agreed Roberts was a great mom, and Clanton said he had once told her that, but did so out of concern for her mental state at the time. Those moments were used to probe both motive and credibility on the stand.

A DoorDash driver testified that an order was accepted under the name “Misty C” and that the delivery was for emergency contraception, with instructions to leave it at the front door. Prosecutors pointed to that order as part of the timeline after the alleged encounter. They argued the purchase of emergency contraception through a delivery service was consistent with someone trying to address the immediate aftermath of a sexual encounter.

Prosecutors also told jurors Roberts had told her ex-husband she was on birth control and discussed taking Plan B, and they framed the delivery information as corroborating other evidence presented at trial. Bond conditions after the initial charges limited Roberts’ contact with her children absent permission from Clanton and affected child support arrangements. Those conditions, the court noted, reflected the seriousness with which authorities treated the allegations.

The case raises questions about adult authority and the protection of minors in private settings, and witnesses repeatedly returned to the fact that the teenagers were inside Roberts’ home and near her children. Prosecutors argued that the age difference and Roberts’ position as a parent and public official made the alleged conduct particularly grave. Defense counsel has contested the reliability and interpretation of some witnesses.

Court testimony over the past week included accounts from Roberts’ children, the ex-husband, a longtime friend, the delivery driver, and multiple teens who attended the pool gathering. Jurors watched and listened as those pieces were placed together, and the sequence of texts, phone orders, and witness statements formed the backbone of the prosecution’s narrative. The defense continues to maintain Roberts’ not guilty plea as the trial proceeds.

The trial is scheduled to resume Monday morning, and additional testimony and argument are expected as both sides continue to present evidence. Jurors already have been exposed to a week of detailed accounts from people who were inside that house the night of the alleged incident. The court will continue to evaluate witness credibility, documentary evidence, and the legal standards that apply to the charges pending against Roberts.