Family and Police Chief Miss Tom Roberts; Charges were brought against the driver suspected of committing the escape

GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Tom Roberts was killed in a hit-and-run while trying to help stranded UTV drivers, according to a criminal complaint. The same complaint included a hit-and-run charge that resulted in the death of a Gillette man accused of driving the car that hit Roberts.

(Further transcription of the full broadcast)

Officer Tom Roberts served here for 18 years — and even saw his son Alex become an officer. We’re at the Green Bay Police Department, where Alex and the chief are now remembering Tom.

According to court documents, Roberts died while helping others.

His son says that Tom lived by one motto when he worked in the police: “I didn’t put these people in this situation, but I have to get them out of it.”

While trying to tow a stuck SUV, Roberts was hit by a car on this Oconto County road while on his own ATV.

We spoke to Roberts’ son Alex on the phone; Alex says his dad was Green Bay through and through: a Preble Hornet and then a proud member of the police force.

Alex shared a statement on social media about Tom’s kindness, saying: “Be willing to reach out and create a smile and you do exactly what he would do. My dad was a light in the darkness for many people. Don’t let the light go out.”

“It can’t be faked,” Police Chief Chris Davis said. “It’s something that has to be real or people will see right through it. And in his case, you know, he, he really meant it.”

Davis didn’t work with Officer Roberts, but says he left a legacy.

“He was just one of those people who left the world a little better than he found it,” Davis said. “So it’s just a big loss.”

Roberts died on Friday, six years after he resigned from the pulpit.

His suspected killer — Obilio Sargento Roblero — has now been charged in Oconto County with hit and run resulting in death.

The criminal complaint says Roblero fled the scene of the crash and was then given a ride south. The statement said two people lied to police about his whereabouts.

While Roblero remains in a detention center in Arkansas, Tom Roberts’ family and Green Bay police are mourning his loss.

“He will be sorely missed,” Davis said.

Alex Roberts says the family is planning a wake.

Records show Roblero is still in Arkansas awaiting extradition back to Oconto County.