Louisiana Mayor Turns Herself into Police after Child Sexual Abuse and Molestation Allegations
The former Louisiana Mayor, who is facing allegations of sexual assault against a minor during her time in office, maintains her innocence.
The 42-year-old woman named Dawn Clanton Roberts is facing serious charges. Law enforcement has accused her of rape in the third degree and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.
An individual was apprehended by Louisiana State Police and taken into custody at the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.
Roberts stepped down as mayor of DeRidder, a small town located about 50 miles north of Lake Charles, on July 27. She was serving her second term as the municipality’s executive, securing a landslide victory with 60% of the vote in 2022.
According to city officials who spoke to the Lake Charles-based newspaper American Press, the secretary of state in Louisiana must receive a signed and notarized letter in order to process a resignation. However, as of late last week, it was reported that this formal process had not yet taken place.
The sudden resignation of the mayor during their term was quite unexpected.
In a letter sent on July 25, Roberts informed the city council that she would be absent from the city for a period of two weeks. During her absence, DeRidder Fire Chief Ken Harlow was appointed as acting mayor.
However, following the resignation letter, speculation spread throughout the region.
City council members allegedly received phone calls regarding those rumors, but they refused to disclose the details of the whispers. Later, they convened with each other and the city attorney. In the latest development, a special council session has been convened to discuss the possibility of initiating an investigation into the mayor. The potential investigation was canceled once elected officials discovered that Roberts was already under scrutiny by law enforcement.
The Louisiana State Police have confirmed an investigation into the former mayor on July 31. However, no specific details were provided.
On Thursday, the agency released a press statement regarding the former mayor voluntarily surrendering to investigators “without incident.”
On July 26, the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office requested the Louisiana State Police Special Victim’s Unit to look into a complaint against Roberts regarding allegations of sexual relations with a juvenile.
“As the investigation progressed, LSP SVU conducted interviews with two juveniles, one of which was the victim,” state police said in the press release. “Both juveniles confirmed Roberts had sexual intercourse with one juvenile victim while employed as Mayor. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Roberts from the Beauregard Parish 36th Judicial District Court.”
Roberts, on the other hand, strongly refuted the accusations in a statement issued by her defense attorney, Adam Johnson, and shared with Baton Rouge-based CBS affiliate WAFB.
“My client learned late last night of a warrant, despite not being contacted to be interviewed prior to investigators obtaining the warrant,” the statement reads. “My client maintains her innocence and, as it stands, she is in fact innocent. She has not been charged with a crime and/or convicted of any crime. And we trust the public will respect her constitutional presumption of innocence which is fundamental to our system of justice. Misty and her family are very grateful for the support they have received from their friends and neighbors and we look forward to putting this unfortunate situation behind them.”
According to jail records, Roberts was able to secure his release by posting a $75,000 bond.
Law&Crime attempted to contact both Johnson’s office and the Beauregard Parish Parish Sheriff’s Office for further information on this story but did not receive any immediate responses at the time of publication.
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