Misty Roberts, 43, faces sentences of up to 10 and seven years in prison after July 2024 sexual assault at pool party

The former mayor of a Louisiana city has been convicted of raping a 16-year-old boy during a party at her house while she was still in office.

Misty Roberts, 43, faces sentences of up to 10 and seven years in prison after a jury in the municipality of DeRidder on Tuesday found her guilty of two felonies: carnal knowledge of a juvenile – or statutory rape – as well as indecent behavior with a minor.

In October, in an unrelated case, her 40-year-old brother, Brandon Lee Roberts, pleaded guilty to raping two people: an underage girl and a young woman. He subsequently received a 42-year prison sentence.

  • SpiceDealer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    In October, in an unrelated case, her 40-year-old brother, Brandon Lee Roberts, pleaded guilty to raping two people: an underage girl and a young woman. He subsequently received a 42-year prison.

    I was going to joke how it’s “all in the family” but this goes to show how the law treats female offenders different than their male counterparts. In much of the western/anglophone world, we’ve come to associate sex abuse with men engaging in sexually predatory behavior; little thought is given about women committing sexual offenses since many are (sadly) the victim of such offenses. We’ve also come to see unbalanced age dynamics (younger man-older woman) as something of a rite of passage for men. If a guy loses his virginity with an older woman, he “scored” or got “lucky.” If the roles were gender-swapped, it would rightly be considered assault but the assailant would receive a much higher sentence than the woman.

    We have stop treating sexual assault as one-sided.

    • calcopiritus@lemmy.world
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      The sentences are very different (7-10 years to 42 years), but to be fair, the crimes are also different.

      1 time might be a “mistake”, 2 times is a trend. Also, I don’t know the specifics. I know children are not legally able to consent to sex with an adult, but I would punish harder in the case that the child doesn’t even “consent” to it. Maybe the boy “consented” and the girl didn’t. Also, I assume the “young woman” is an adult, so she definitely didn’t consent.

  • bstix@feddit.dk
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    Disclaimer: Put on a tinfoil hat.


    The only reason this is all over the news is unfortunately not because it’s a despicable crime. Which it is.

    However. The story is that: She turned herself in. They were intoxicated by alcohol. She’s hot for 40 year old. She’s “independent, blablabla. both sides”.

    No, no, no!

    The media is showing this because they want to normalize rape.

    There’s something a lot worse that never make the news.

    Maybe it’s the drug epidemic, causing this shit to happen on daily basis in the southern states. Maybe it’s people of importance who don’t turn themselves in. Maybe it’s not the alcohol or libido at all.Maybe it’s the …

    Maybe it’s in the Epstein files.

  • MousePotatoDoesStuff@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Can someone confirm or deny, with a reliable source either way, whether she’s a Republican?

    (I fully expect her to be one but don’t want to assume.)

    • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 day ago

      She was identified as independent in her profile from what I can tell. I’d be surprised if she wasn’t really Republican by most standards as a small town mayor so close to Kansas. Her LinkedIn profile has her following the Koch Holding Company also. I don’t know, I don’t think she effectively accomplished anything in her stint in mayor enough to say she wasn’t an independent. End of the day I guess it doesn’t really matter, I was actually surprised her LinkedIn is still out there like nothings happened.

  • N-E-N@lemmy.ca
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    Got confused by the headline cause 16 would be legal where I am and certainly doesn’t strike me instinctively as “rape”.

    That being said, bangin a kid in high school when you’re in your 40s is uncomfy

    • bthest@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Well you’re not alone in having that mindset.

      And unfortunately that is why rape continues to be a massive issue today. It’s one of the biggest social evil plaguing the human race. Rape islands, sex trafficking, the Epstein files, the AI child porn factories, forced birth returning to America etc, all the same.

  • village604@adultswim.fan
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    2 days ago

    I’m honestly surprised the age of consent isn’t 16 in Louisiana like it is in the majority of states.

  • cøre@leminal.space
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    2 days ago

    She rapes a 16yr old boy. Her brother rapes an underage girl. They’re both underage, both are pedophelia, yet the boy gets reported differently than the girl.

    Brother and sister are both rapists, that’s fucked up family there. Wonder how many dad and mom have raped.