Misty Roberts Clanton, the former mayor of DeRidder, La., was arrested on Thursday on accusations she had sex with a minor during her time as mayor.
Clanton, who announced her resignation last week, is accused of having had “sexual intercourse with one juvenile victim while employed as mayor,” Louisiana State Police said in a news release Thursday afternoon.
The agency’s Special Victim’s Unit said investigators spoke with two juveniles, one of whom was the victim. They both confirmed Clanton had sex with the minor, police said.
Clanton turned herself in without incident Thursday morning. She was booked into the Beauregard Parish Detention Center on charges of third-degree rape and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles. She was released less than two hours later on a $75,000 bond.
Her attorney, Adam Johnson, said in a statement obtained by local station KPLC that his client maintains her innocence.
“She has not been charged with a crime and/or convicted of any crime,” Johnson said. “We trust the public will respect her constitutional presumption of innocence which is fundamental to our system of justice.”
The now-former two-time mayor announced she was taking a two-week absence on Friday, and appointed fire chief Ken Harlow as mayor pro tem, according to KPLC.
She announced her official resignation the following day.
DeRidder, “a strong and diverse community of close to 11,000 residents,” is located near the border with Texas, in the western part of Louisiana.
