Ex-Polk County Deputy Disappears Before Trial in Double DUI Manslaughter Case
Polk County, FL — A former Polk County sheriff’s deputy is now a fugitive after vanishing ahead of a scheduled court appearance where he was expected to answer for a deadly 2022 DUI crash that left two men dead and a third victim permanently disabled.
Joshua Roelofs, 38, was out on a $19,000 bond after being charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter stemming from a high-speed wreck on the Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa. According to police and court records, Roelofs failed to appear in court in April 2025 and has not been seen since. A bench warrant has been issued for his arrest.
A Deadly Collision Caught on Dashcam
The fatal crash occurred in the early morning hours of April 12, 2022. Roelofs was driving a Nissan GT-R — a high-performance sports car — when he reportedly began driving erratically, swerving across lanes at dangerous speeds. Dashcam footage captured the moments leading up to the crash, which ended in a violent collision with an SUV carrying four passengers.
Two of the passengers, 44-year-old Kris Koroly and 44-year-old Ricky Gongora, were killed on impact. A third occupant suffered a catastrophic brain injury, was placed in a medically induced coma for four months, and now requires full-time care due to severe cognitive and physical impairments.
Roelofs was arrested shortly after the crash but released on bond while awaiting trial. His case drew scrutiny from the beginning due to his law enforcement background and the severity of the charges.
Fired From the Sheriff’s Office, Then Freed Again
Roelofs served as a deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for approximately five years before being fired in 2015 for falsifying time records in an apparent attempt to receive unearned compensation. Despite that history, he was not prevented from walking free again after the 2022 crash that claimed two lives.
He was scheduled to appear in court in April to either enter a guilty plea or proceed to trial. Instead, he failed to show, prompting his attorneys, Deborah Barra and Glen Lansky, to withdraw from the case. A warrant was issued immediately after his absence was confirmed.
Authorities believe Roelofs may have ties to Ohio and Michigan, but his exact whereabouts remain unknown. As of now, no formal federal involvement has been publicly confirmed.
Accountability Under Question
The case is now raising difficult questions about how a former law enforcement officer with a prior misconduct history could receive bond in a double fatal DUI case — and why no additional conditions were in place to prevent him from fleeing.
With no trial, no plea, and no closure for the victims’ families, Roelofs’ disappearance highlights deeper concerns about uneven accountability in Florida’s justice system. The crash permanently altered lives. The lack of resolution threatens to do the same for public confidence.
Anyone with information about Roelofs’ location is urged to contact the authorities immediately.
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