Ex-Mayor Walks After 90 Days

A Louisiana judge kept a 90-day sentence for a convicted ex-mayor who faced up to 17 years, after admitting his case-comparison was wrong.

Story Snapshot

A jury convicted Misty Roberts of two felonies involving a 16-year-old while she was mayor.
The judge imposed 90 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and suspended prison time.
Prosecutors sought a tougher sentence; the judge denied their request after a hearing.
The judge later admitted his case list was plea deals, not trial convictions, but kept the term.

What The Court Decided And Why It Sparked Outrage

In Beauregard Parish, Judge Kent Savoie sentenced former DeRidder Mayor Misty Roberts to 90 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and two five-year suspended prison terms after a jury convicted her of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile tied to a 2024 party involving a 16-year-old boy. Reports said Roberts faced up to 17 years under the relevant statutes, which set a stark contrast with the short jail term and fueled public anger and confusion over how justice was applied here.

State prosecutors moved to reconsider the sentence in August, arguing Roberts should serve more time given the facts and the trial conviction. At the hearing, the prosecution pressed the judge to revisit his reasoning. Judge Savoie denied the request and left the original sentence in place. He also said the state’s push for a maximum term was “a little overboard” for a first-time offender, according to coverage of the proceeding. That outcome locked in Roberts’ 90-day custodial term.

The Judge’s Admitted Error And The Fight Over Comparisons

Judge Savoie said he looked at how similar parish cases were handled over about 15 years when he set the sentence. After reporters reviewed those cases, the judge later acknowledged he was wrong about the mix; the list was made up of plea deals, not trial convictions, as first suggested. He kept the sentence anyway, saying that did not change his view. That admission deepened criticism that the decision leaned on apples-to-oranges comparisons between negotiated pleas and a post-trial conviction.

Defense lawyers countered that the prosecution was trying to punish Roberts for going to trial rather than taking a plea, a practice they called a “trial tax”. Coverage also reported the judge did not treat Roberts’ status as mayor as an aggravating factor because he believed she was not acting under mayoral authority at the time. He said he weighed victim-impact statements and testimony in choosing the punishment, a standard step in sentencing. These factors, taken together, formed the rationale the court placed on the record.

What The Sentence Says About Power, Process, And Trust

Roberts completed the 90-day term and left custody in early September, which kept attention on the gap between the legal maximums discussed in court and the actual time served. Many people see a system that bends for insiders, especially when a public official is involved. Others note that Louisiana law allows wide ranges for sex offenses involving ages 13 to 17, which can produce big swings in outcomes based on charge choices, plea deals, and judicial discretion. Both points can be true at once.

🚨Former DeRidder Mayor Misty Roberts Released After Serving 90 Days for Felony Juvenile Sex Crimes

📍DERIDDER, La.

Former DeRidder Mayor Misty Roberts was released from state custody on September 7, according to official department records, after completing a 90-day jail… pic.twitter.com/A3DdTRb0Ck

— Amy Leigh (@IAmyLeigh) September 8, 2026

The core tension is not only about one judge’s call. It is about a process that is hard to track and easy to doubt. The state asked for more time and lost. The judge admitted a factual mistake about his comparisons but kept the term. The statutes permit broad outcomes, which can look arbitrary to families and communities. That mix feeds a shared worry on the right and left: rules seem flexible for the connected, while the rest face strict lines and long years.

What To Watch Next

Public records in news reports do not include the full sentencing transcript, the presentence report, or the prosecution’s complete filings. Those materials would show how the judge weighed aggravating factors, including the abuse-of-trust issue linked to holding office. Without them, debate leans on summaries and quotes, not the full record. If those documents are released, they could clarify whether this 90-day sentence tracked past practice or set an outlier that erodes trust in equal justice under law.