Obilio Thomas Sargento Roblero, 32, was arrested in Arkansas and is now charged, in Oconto County, with hit and run causing death for a crash that killed 60-year old Thomas Roberts of Green Bay. Roblero is currently being held in the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Arkansas, awaiting extradition back to Oconto County. (Courtesy: Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility)
OCONTO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The suspect in a hit-and-run crash which killed a retired police officer is now competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Tuesday, meaning the case against Obilio Roblero can resume.
Roblero, 33, is charged with hit & run resulting death for the Oct. 25 crash in Gillett which killed Thomas Roberts, a retired Green Bay police officer.
Competency refers to the defendant’s ability to understand the court proceedings and assist in his own defense. The case had been on hold since March while Roblero received psychiatric treatment.
After the ruling by Judge Michael Judge, a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 23, court records show.
According to criminal complaint, Roberts — who was riding an ATV — stopped to help two other UTV riders in the area of Shawano County Line Road at Nelson Road. The witnesses told authorities Roberts offered to tow them and their broken-down vehicle.
The complaint says, after Roberts hooked a tow-strap from his ATV to the witnesses’ UTV, he got on his vehicle and was almost immediately struck by a westbound GMC Acadia.
The witnesses told authorities the driver of the Acadia got out of the vehicle and ran away.
The Oconto County Sheriff’s Office was able to identify the driver as Roblero. He was located and arrested at a hotel in Jacksonville, Arkansas.
Information in the criminal complaint says a deputy at the crash scene collected a can of beer from the passenger seat of Roblero’s vehicle and a cell phone from the Acadia before it was towed away as evidence.
According to the criminal complaint, Roblero used a relative’s phone and called his wife after the crash. His wife told authorities that he said there had been an accident, but police wouldn’t believe him.
The criminal complaint says Roblero then told his wife he was driving his SUV home when a deer came out of the woods. He swerved to the left to avoid the deer. It was at that time he claims to have seen two UTVs on the side of the road, with no lights on. Roblero said he didn’t have time to stop, and he hit one of the UTVs. He reportedly told his wife he panicked and ran.
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