NEED TO KNOW
- Ex-deputy Joshua Roelofs vanished before the trial in a 2022 DUI crash that killed two men and left another disabled
- Roelofs was out on bond despite driving 100 mph while drunk, and skipped court in April
- A manhunt is underway as one victims’ father says he’s “disgusted at the system” for letting the former deputy walk free
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 for the start of his trial.
The 38-year-old ex-deputy vanished ahead of jury selection Monday, June 16, in Tampa, where he was set to face charges stemming from a 2022 wreck on Courtney Campbell Causeway that prosecutors say left two men dead and a third seriously injured, 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 either plead guilty to DUI manslaughter charges or ask the state for a jury trial.
His defense attorney told the court at the time that he had lost contact with his client, prompting a judge to revoke Roelofs’ bond and issue an arrest warrant.
Authorities allege Roelofs was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvette traveling more than 100 mph with a blood alcohol content twice the legal limit when he slammed into a car driven by Ricky Gongora, 44, killing him and his 28-year-old passenger Kris Koroly in April 2022.
A third occupant of the car survived with permanent injuries, per the outlets. According to Fox 13, he spent four months in a coma and still suffers from seizures and mobility issues.
Footage obtained by Fox 35 allegedly showed Roelof weaving across lanes before the crash. This week, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office released a new mugshot, and said that Roelofs has ties to Ohio and Michigan.
Also this week, Gongora’s father expressed frustration over the former deputy’s disappearance and recalled his lost son.
“Ricky was just a jovial person. He was always happy. He always found a silver lining in any cloud. He could always brighten up your day,” George Negrete, the father of one of the victims, told Fox 13.
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“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 said. “It’s a grave injustice for him to be a fugitive now. I think he’s just a coward. Everybody has to answer for their actions, and you know he took the easy way out.”
Previously, Roelofs served as a deputy in Polk County, Florida. He worked with the department for five years, according to the Times, until he was fired for filing inaccurate time records so he could be paid for additional hours.
His current whereabouts remain unknown, and he has been classified as a fugitive by Tampa police.
Neither the U.S. Marshals Service nor Roelofs’ former attorneys — who withdrew as his counsel when their client failed to appear in court — could be reached for comment.
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