OCONTO (NBC 26) — An Oconto County Judge sets bond at $1 million cash for the man charged with hit and run resulting in death of a former Green Bay police officer in late October.
- See Obilio Tomas Sargento Roblero make his initial appearance at the Oconto County Courthouse on Monday afternoon.
- Hear a spokesperson for the family tell the judge Roblero is a "Flight risk."
- Roblero will be back in court Nov. 20.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
Bond is set at one million dollars cash for the man accused of killing a former Green Bay police officer in a hit-and-run crash and trying to flee the state. I'm Pari Apostolakos at the Oconto County courthouse where the man made his initial appearance following the late October crash west of Oconto Falls.
Obilio Tomas Sargento Roblero of Gillett is charged with hit and run resulting in the death of former Green Bay Police Officer Tom Roberts.
According to investigators, Roberts was helping someone with a broken-down ATV on October 25 when Roblero hit him with an SUV. Prosecutors say Roblero then ran away with plans to flee the country. He was arrested in Arkansas days later and extradited to Oconto County.
Judge Jay Conley scheduled Roblero for a continued initial appearance on Monday after he did not answer whether he understood the charge.
A victim witness coordinator read a statement in court from Roberts' family, who asked for bond to be set at $1.5 million cash.
"The defendant has already proven he is a flight risk and has no intention of appearing in court," Oconto County Victim Witness Coordinator Rachael Race said on behalf of the Roberts family. "Tom spent his entire life helping others and that is what he was doing when he was killed ... The defendant didn't even stop to see if Tom was okay ... To prevent him from doing this to someone else and to protect the community, a $1.5 million cash bond is necessary."
Judge Conley ended up setting bond at $1 million cash, which is what the state asked for.
"The defendant presents a substantial flight risk and it most certainly is reasonable to require a significant, substantial cash bond to make sure he appears in this [court] and answers this serious charge which involves a death," Judge Conley said.
If Roblero were to bond out he would need to be sober, wear a GPS bracelet, and not discuss the case with any witnesses including his wife.
The family of Tom Roberts chose not to speak to NBC 26 after Monday's proceedings. Roblero will appear in court again in person along with his attorney on Nov. 20.
