TAMPA, Fla. — A former Polk County deputy was found guilty by a jury of DUI manslaughter on Wednesday for driving drunk on the Courtney Campbell Causeway in 2022, which led to the death of two people.
In April 2022, Joshua Roelofs was driving his 2017 Nissan GT-R at an estimated 100mph when he rear-ended a 2005 Kia Sorrento. The crash caused the Kia to roll over and eject all four people inside, police said. Two 44-year-old men died at the scene, and a 36-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman were transported with serious injuries.
Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office said Roelofs fled the country in April 2025 to avoid the trial, but authorities found him in hiding and brought him back.
Roelofs will be sentenced at a later date. He faces up to life in prison.
Bradenton community responds after 20-year-old volleyball star dies from disease that affects 2 in a million
The 20-year-old IMG Academy volleyball star and Under Armour All-American died Sept. 16 after a three-month battle with the rare blood disorder — even though doctors had found her a 100% bone marrow match, her mother, Tanya Mack tells Tampa Bay 28 reporter Haley Zarcone.
