Joshua Roelofs is accused of driving 100 mph while intoxicated in a 2022 crash that killed two people and left a third permanently injured
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…