Ex-cop skips DUI manslaughter trial and is caught at Colombian hotel, FL cops say
A former deputy accused of killing two people in a crash fled the country as his trial was set to begin and went on the run for four months, authorities in Florida said.
Law enforcement tracked 36-year-old Joshua Roelofs to a hotel in Colombia, where local authorities arrested him, and now he’s back in custody in Florida, the Tampa Police Department announced Aug. 20.
Roelofs, a former deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, was expected to stand trial just over three years after he was accused of crashing into an SUV while under the influence, killing Kristopher Koroly and Ricky Gongora, according to court records and news outlets.
According to the Tampa Police Department, Roelofs was driving approximately 100 mph on the Courtney Campbell Causeway on April 13, 2022, when he rear-ended a Kia Sorento, WTSP reported.
Police said the Kia rolled, and the four occupants were thrown from the car, according to WFTS. None of them were wearing seatbelts, the outlet reported.
Roelofs was charged with two counts each of DUI manslaughter and DUI with serious bodily injury, and he bonded out after his arrest.
Records show his trial was scheduled to begin April 21, but he didn’t show.
Law enforcement said they began looking for him immediately and figured out he fled to Colombia.
“On August 11, the U.S. Marshals Task Force provided crucial intelligence to Colombian authorities, pinpointing Roelofs’ location at the Finca Rivendell Paradise Girardota hotel in Antioquia, Colombia,” Tampa police said. “Acting swiftly, Colombian officials responded to the location and took Roelofs into custody without incident.”
Colombian authorities escorted Roelofs on a flight to Miami International Airport, where officers with TPD’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit took him into custody on Aug. 19, according to law enforcement.
Roelofs worked at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office from 2010 until he was fired in 2015, the agency confirmed.
He’s being held without bond in Hillsborough County jail.
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Ex-cop skips DUI manslaughter trial and is caught at Colombian hotel, FL cops say."