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

An arrest warrant has been issued for an ex-deputy in Polk County, Florida, who failed to appear for his April trial after being charged with two counts of manslaughter in 2022. 

In the early morning hours of April 12, 2022, Joshua Roelofs allegedly killed Kris Koroly, 44, and Ricky Gongora, 44, in a high-speed DUI crash on the Courtney Campbell Causeway in the Tampa, Florida, area.

A third person was left permanently disabled after the wreck.

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

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According to the Tampa Bay Times, he was scheduled to appear in court in April of this year to either plead guilty to DUI manslaughter charges or ask the state for a trial. Initially, he was released from jail on a $19,000 bond.

However, he was a no-show for that court date and has not been seen since. 

The Times reported Roelofs was a Polk County Sheriff's deputy for about five years until he was fired in 2015 for allegedly filing inaccurate time records so he could receive extra pay.

A road lined with palm trees between Tampa and Clearwater, Fla. Joshua Roelofs is a fugitive in the area. (Getty Images)

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Just before the 2022 crash, dashcam video from inside the Nissan GT-R sports car Roelofs was driving reportedly caught him driving erratically and swerving in and out of lanes before crashing into an SUV carrying Koroly, Gongora and two other 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. 

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

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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.