St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, Florida
End of Watch: Wednesday, March 3, 1999
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Badge Number: 267
Cause of Death: Motorcycle crash
Date of Incident: February 11, 1999
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Sentenced to five years
Master Deputy Steven Roberts succumbed to injuries sustained one month earlier when his motorcycle was struck by another vehicle as he responded to a vehicle crash.
While traveling on 25th Street in Fort Pierce, Deputy Roberts approached a vehicle that was in the left lane and attempted to pass it on the right. As he did so, the vehicle entered the right lane and struck Deputy Roberts' motorcycle, pushing it into a light pole at Avenue O. Deputy Roberts suffered severe internal injuries in the collison and both of his legs were amputated just below the thighs.
A rack of clothes hanging in the back seat blocked the driver's view. The driver's driving record at the time of the accident included 19 citations, including one previous fatal accident. The driver was sentenced to five years in jail in connection with Deputy Roberts' death.
Deputy Roberts had served with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Department for 14 years. He is survived by his fiancee and two teen-age sons. His wedding was scheduled to be held three days after his death.