A judge has issued a warrant for a former Polk County deputy after he failed to appear in a Tampa courtroom to stand trial in a 2022 DUI manslaughter case.
In the early morning hours of April 13, 2022, Tampa police said Joshua Roelofs was driving at about 100 mph on the Courtney Campbell Causeway when he rear-ended a Kia Sorrento with four people inside.
The SUV overturned, investigators said, killing two 44-year-old men: Kristopher Koroly and Ricky Gongora. A 36-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman also suffered critical injuries.
Investigators arrested Roelofs the following month on several charges, including two counts each of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter.
Jury selection in his trial was set to begin on Monday, but Roelofs was a no-show.
Roelofs previously worked for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office but wasn’t employed there at the time of the crash.
The sheriff’s office says he was a PCSO deputy until 2015, when he was arrested for falsifying his timecard.
The judge issued a warrant for Roelofs’ arrest and revoked his bond, saying he will reassess where the case stands once Roelofs is in custody.