Fugitive ex-deputy vanishes before trial in deadly sports car crash

An arrest warrant has been issued for a former deputy in Polk County, Florida, who did not show up for his April trial after facing charges of two counts of manslaughter in 2022. 

In the early hours of April 12, 2022, Joshua Roelofs is accused of causing the deaths of Kris Koroly, 44, and Ricky Gongora, 44, in a high-speed DUI accident on the Courtney Campbell Causeway in the Tampa, Florida, region.

A third person was left permanently disabled after the wreck.

Joshua Roelofs mughsot

Joshua Roelofs after his 2022 arrest (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

Moments before the 2022 collision, dashcam footage from inside the Nissan GT-R sports car driven by Roelofs allegedly recorded him driving erratically and weaving between lanes before crashing into an SUV that transported Koroly, Gongora, and two additional people.

One of the surviving passengers sustained a severe brain injury in the crash and was in a coma for four months. He reportedly “struggles to walk, has seizures, needs constant assistance and has a reduced mental capacity,” the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Roelofs has ties to Ohio and Michigan. 

Polk County Sheriff's Office car

Joshua Roelofs is a former Polk County Sheriff’s deputy. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)

Fox News Digital reached out to his attorneys, Deborah Barra and Glen Lansky, who withdrew as his counsel when he failed to appear in court. 

The U.S. Marshals Service did not return a comment request. 

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