Toe-curling divorce secrets of female mayor, 43, caught by her teenage son raping his 16-year-old friend at pool party
A former female mayor who raped a 16-year-old boy endured an ugly war of words with her ex-husband as the sex scandal exploded, court filings show.
Misty Roberts, 43, was yesterday convicted of having sex with with her son’s underaged friend during a pool party in 2024. Divorce filings viewed by the Daily Mail revealed that the incident happened on Robert’s own son’s 16th birthday.
That son, who the Daily Mail is not naming, told the court that he witnessed his mother sexually abusing his friend through a window of the family’s sizeable home in DeRidder, Louisiana – the town Roberts was mayor of until the scandal exploded.
The sex offender stood down as mayor of the town shortly before being arrested and charged with third-degree rape as well as delinquency of a juvenile.
On Tuesday night Roberts wept uncontrollably and shook her head in disbelief as jurors found her guilty. She now faces up to 17 years behind bars for her attack on the boy, who was a year under Louisiana’s age of consent at the time of the incident.
The former lawmaker’s ex-husband Duncan Clanton, 43, initially stood by her in the wake of the rape, according to the divorce papers.
Clanton showered his ex-wife, and the mother of his two kids, with praise telling her: ‘You are a great mom and that’s what’s going to be your foundation. That’s what’s [sic] is going to get you through it. You’re strong.’
In another exchange he even vowed to stand by side her despite not being together, saying: ‘I won’t turn my back on you.’
Misty Roberts is pictured with her ex-husband Duncan Clanton and her two children. The pair warred after she was accused of raping her son’s 16-year-old son at a pool party. Roberts was convicted of the sex attack on Tuesday
Roberts, the former Mayor of DeRidder in Louisiana, is pictured on Tuesday after her conviction. She refused to comment
Despite Roberts’ legal issues, Clanton, who works in insurance, told her: ‘I can tell you how glad I am about me and you though.
‘We can be great parents to our kids and not fight or any of that negativity anymore. Let’s just live one day at a time.’
Within months of the rape, however, the gloves were off. The exes began a bitter custody battle in October 2024 filled with allegations of infidelity, stalking claims and sharp insults as Clanton sought to be given full custody of both children.
Roberts filed two dossiers loaded with text messages where the pair squabbled over him allegedly being a mommy’s boy.
Other messages suggested Roberts had other affairs behind her spouse’s back. Bizarrely, they also suggested that Roberts and Clanton first split over his fondness for cigarettes.
In one exchange, just a month after they initially split in May of 2022, Clanton text Roberts saying: ‘Remember to remove Clanton as your last name.’
She responded saying she didn’t have to, to which Clanton answered that she had ‘rode’ the ‘coattails long enough’.
Clanton then said: ‘It’s funny how many names have been given to me about who all you have slept with.
‘I’ve noticed that there is a guy that shows up to [their son’s] games. Funny how his name is mentioned too.’ None of the names of these men were shared and it is unclear if there was any infidelity on Roberts’ part.
‘Wow. This just keeps getting better. I’d like to know this list’, Roberts replied, to which Clanton again asked her to change her name.
The texts offer an insight into petty squabbling between the two over them both being smokers.
Clanton proudly told his ex-wife that since their relationship was over he didn’t ‘have to carry the weight of hiding smoking ever again’.
He added: ‘I tried to eliminate that burden from you’, in another text he said: ‘Me smoking never was what made us divorce.
‘You were done before I had a chance to save it. My addiction is just your excuse.’
Roberts resigned as mayor days before her 2024 arrest. Bond conditions initially limited her contact with her children without her Clanton’s permission
Roberts, seen here in her mugshot, she maintained her innocence since the allegation was first made in 2024
Duncan Clanton, seen here, supported his ex-wife in the immediate aftermath of the allegation before changing his tune
In a particularly harsh response, Roberts said: ‘Just leave my kids alone and don’t mess with their emotions. They are fine until they have to recover from your rollercoaster.
‘Man up, take responsibility stop being a victim and go live your life’, Roberts added before she accused Clanton of following people and stalking strangers, the papers said.
‘[It] makes you look psychotic. You are really barking up the wrong tree. For real – just quit.’
Clanton never addressed the allegation, instead replying: ‘Our kids will be fine. They will see the difference between me and you, one day.’
He followed that up by claiming Roberts left him for a police officer and a dirt contractor, calling her ‘an alcoholic cheating SOB!’, the papers said.
These allegations were referenced again in another round of text messages in August of 2022 referenced in the court papers.
‘You’re the one who f***** a cop and had an affair. You have no room to talk about morals’, the text suggested he had a new partner.
In other messages submitted in the court papers he told Roberts: ‘You really are cold blooded. Just wanted you to know what a real piece of s*** you really are.’
In her initial response to the filing by Clanton, Roberts said she maintained ‘her innocence regarding the allegations and charges against me’.
She said that the changes would cause a ‘significant emotional and psychological harm’ to their kids.
Roberts is seen in a photo taken during happier times. The sex offender’s life now lies in tatters thanks to her rape of a 16-year-old boy
The family’s former home in Deridder is pictured here
Roberts said she maintained ‘her innocence regarding the allegations and charges against me’ in the court papers
Roberts added: ‘Duncan was simply not a supportive father, nor spouse outside of our home. Resentment tells the rest of the story.
‘To this day, we have failed to effectively communicate, largely due to his refusal to accept the ending of our marriage.’
Roberts claimed in the legal filing that Clanton’s mother Debbie had a negative influence on their relationship and exacerbated their ongoing disputes.
According to the court papers, Debbie would oversee her son’s personal and business finances even while they were married.
In the end, the two met in court in December of 2024 and decided that they would maintain joint custody but Clanton would become the domiciliary parent.
This would mean the children would primarily live with him, and he would take authority over long-term decisions.
It was decided that child support payments would be terminated as he was now the main parent.
Roberts, who represented herself in court for the custody case, then asked to make a statement in which she referenced the incident.
She said: ‘This agreement is no way intended to act as an admission of guilt nor is to have any effect on any current pending criminal matters.’
Before signing off on the new agreement, the judge ordered that their children go to a therapist.
Earlier this week in court, a forensic interview was played showing Roberts’ son explaining how he had watched his mother have sex with her alleged victim.
A local DoorDash driver said he had delivered emergency contraception to her home shortly after the incident, the court was told.
Roberts was asked if there was a chance she was pregnant by her alleged victim’s mother and denied it, according to court papers viewed by the Mail.
On Tuesday night she refused to comment as she left Beauregard district court on a $100,000 bond, she is due back in court next month for sentencing.
