Mayor Who Raped a Minor at a Pool Party Gets a Lenient Sentence

What began as a routine pool party turned into a case that destroyed an entire family and wrecked the career of what had been the city's biggest political promise. Now, nearly two years later, the case against the mayor who was convicted of having sex with a minor at the party has come to an end in court, but the sentence has sparked enormous public outrage.

Roberts, 44, who served as mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, was convicted earlier this year of having sex with a 16-year-old boy and a series of other serious offenses, all of them during a birthday party she held for her son. The prosecution demanded that she receive the maximum sentence allowed by law, 17 years in prison, arguing that she exploited her position and caused severe harm to the boy and his family. But the judge decided otherwise.

To the surprise of those in the courtroom and city residents, Roberts was sentenced to just 90 days in prison, along with a $5,000 fine, two five-year suspended sentences, lifetime registration as a sex offender, psychological treatment, and routine drug testing. She was also required to register as a sex offender for life, undergo psychological treatment, and submit to regular drug tests.

The decision was reached after she refused to pay $150,000 bail and instead asked to serve the short prison term.

"I saw my mother with my best friend through the crack in the window"

The testimony heard in court revealed an impossible family situation. Roberts' son testified that he saw his mother having sex with his best friend, a 16-year-old boy, through a crack in the house window. Roberts' daughter also did not spare details and testified that she saw the two of them "lying on top of each other."

Roberts' close friend, Jill Weaver, was called to the house by her son at 2:00 a.m. after the party fell apart in screams. In court, she described hearing the son scream at his mother the words no one wants to hear: "My mother slept with my best friend."

According to her testimony, Roberts was "the most drunk I've ever seen her" and shouted at her son, who she claimed had filmed her during the sexual act with the minor.

The affair exposed not only the act itself, but also a desperate attempt to conceal it. Weaver admitted that she sent her son a text message reading, "Lie to the death," in an effort to keep the boys from reporting what they had seen to the police. At those moments, according to the testimony, Roberts cried and even threatened to hurt herself.

In addition, the technological and logistical evidence was unequivocal. The boy's mother sent Roberts a worried message about the possibility of pregnancy, and Roberts reassured her that she was using birth control. At the same time, a DoorDash delivery driver testified in court that he delivered a Plan B pill to the mayor's home shortly after the night in question.

"A sexual predator with hair extensions, high heels and Botox"

The emotional peak of the hearing came when the boy's mother stood before Roberts and lashed out at her. "Danger does not always look like what we are warned against," the mother said through tears. "Danger does not always look like a man with candy, or a stranger with a puppy in a van. This predator comes with hair extensions, high heels, Botox and other enhancements."

The mother also did not spare criticism of the former mayor's attempts to cover up what happened and persuade those present to lie. "You thought you were so amazing in your bikini that night, and you knew exactly what you were doing to his mind," the mother said angrily. "What hurts almost as much as the initial betrayal is your attempt to put the blame on a 42-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy. Half of his high school experience was taken from him."

Her brother also raped minors and the unconvincing tears

During the investigation, it emerged that her brother, Brandon Lee Roberts, is a convicted sex offender who was sentenced to 32 years in prison at the end of 2025 after admitting to rape and sexual assault of two victims, one of whom he began abusing at age 13.

During the hearing, Roberts tried to express remorse, but her words were received with great skepticism. "What a disgrace I was to this city," she said. "I have a perfect family, but at some point I chose myself over everyone. I promised many people I would put the city on the map, but I did not do it the way I wanted."

She added that she feared losing her children and asked the judge for mercy so she could return to being a mother.

Prosecutor Charles Robinson flatly rejected her apology and argued that she had not understood the severity of her actions at all. "This is not a stupid woman, this is someone who managed a city budget," he stressed. "She has not reached an understanding of taking responsibility, and she is not truly sorry."

Roberts' attorneys tried to argue that the maximum sentence was cruel and that their client had suffered a mental crisis that evening, while reminding the judge that he should not be influenced by public outrage on social media. The judge, as noted, settled on a relatively light sentence that has triggered a major storm that is far from over.