Judge Admits Error in Ex-Mayor's 90-Day Sex Sentence

Beauregard Parish District Attorney Jimmy Lestage said in a statement to KPLC: "I appreciate Judge Savoie acknowledging that the list he put together was not an accurate representation of sentences for convictions of this nature... I am disappointed that the sentence was not changed. I, like I have told you before, do not believe that the sentence reflects the values of Beauregard Parish."

Assistant District Attorney Charles Robinson told the judge the plea-deal list was the wrong yardstick. "I feel like we are comparing apples to oranges," he said, arguing the deals reflected leniency for defendants who admitted responsibility. "If you go to trial, you are going to face a much harsher punishment. Miss Roberts did roll the dice, which she is entitled to."

Savoie pushed back on the state's original demand for the maximum. "I was considerably turned off by your request for the maximum sentence," he said. "I thought it was overboard considering she was a first-time offender." He also said Roberts' office should not weigh against her: "She was a public official, but she did not use that in the commission of a crime." He declined to punish her for choosing trial over a plea: "I'm not going to change on the motion to reconsider."

Defense attorney Adam Johnson said the state offered nothing new. "There is nothing new in front of your honor to reconsider," he said. After the ruling, the defense team said: "You have a right to go to trial in the United States of America. Sentencing is up to the judge, not the DA."

Residents of DeRidder, a city of about 9,800, called the sentence too soft. One resident told KALB, "When it comes to children, we should use the fullest extent of the law. There are no excuses when it comes to our children." Another, Ryan Clark, called the 90 days "an insult," The Independent reported.