Joshua Roelofs, a former Florida sheriff’s deputy accused of killing two people in a high-speed DUI crash, is now a fugitive after failing to appear in court at the start of his trial.
The 38-year-old ex-deputy vanished before jury selection on Monday, June 16, in Tampa, where he was scheduled to face charges stemming from a 2022 wreck on Courtney Campbell Causeway that prosecutors say killed two men and seriously injured a third, according to Fox 13 Tampa Bay, the Tampa Bay Times, and Fox 35 Orlando.
Roelofs was out on a $19,000 bond when he missed a mandatory pretrial hearing in April, where he was supposed to plead guilty to DUI manslaughter charges or request a jury trial.
His defense attorney informed the court at the time that he had lost contact with his client, prompting the judge to revoke Roelofs’ bond and issue an arrest warrant.
According to authorities, Roelofs was driving a Chevrolet Corvette at over 100 mph with a blood alcohol content twice the legal limit when he collided with a car driven by Ricky Gongora, 44, killing him and his 28-year-old passenger Kris Koroly, in April 2022.
According to the outlets, the third occupant of the car survived with permanent injuries. According to Fox 13, he was in a coma for four months and continues to suffer from seizures and mobility issues.
Fox 35 obtained footage that allegedly showed Roelof weaving across lanes prior to the crash. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office released a new mugshot this week, claiming Roelofs has ties to Ohio and Michigan.
This week, Gongora’s father expressed frustration with the former deputy’s disappearance and recalled his missing son.
“Ricky was just a happy person. He was always happy. He always saw a silver lining in any cloud. “He could always brighten your day,” George Negrete, one of the victims’ fathers, told Fox 13.
“It’s just a mix of emotions, just disgusted at the system that he was even out on bail for a little more than $4,000 to think that he was out being a free man after having taken two lives,” Negrete told me. “His current status as a fugitive is a grave injustice. I think he’s a coward. Everybody is accountable for their actions, and you know he took the easy way out.”
Previously, Roelofs worked as a deputy in Polk County, Fla. According to the Times, he worked for the department for five years before being fired for filing inaccurate time records in order to be compensated for extra hours.
His current whereabouts are unknown, and Tampa police have classified him as a fugitive.
The U.S. Marshals Service and Roelofs’ former attorneys, who withdrew as counsel when their client failed to appear in court, could not be reached for comment.
