By Keith Morelli and Josh Poltilove
Tampa Tribune
TAMPA, Fla. — Several hours before he was shot to death while on patrol, Tampa Police Department Cpl. Mike Roberts had accepted a job as a detective that would have taken him off patrol duty.
Roberts, an 11-year veteran of the force, was going to be a detective on the department’s hit-and-run squad. The move would have taken him off the night shift and off patrol duty.
The change would have meant regular hours for a man who wanted to spend more time with his wife, Cynthia, and 3-year-old son, Adam.
Roberts was shot to death Wednesday night in Sulphur Springs after he stopped to check out a man pushing a grocery cart containing a pile of concealed guns. Police arrested Humberto Delgado Jr. soon afterward and charged him with first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer.
On Friday, Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Walter Heinrich denied Delgado bail.
“Due to the nature of the charges and the strong case against you, you will be held without bond for the duration of your charges,” the judge told him during a hearing that lasted less than 90 seconds.
Details continue to emerge
Homicide detectives, working with little rest, continued Friday to build their case against Delgado.
Delgado had lived with relatives in Oldsmar until he was kicked out and became homeless. On Monday night, he was rousted by a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy who found him sleeping in an Oldsmar public park. Delgado told the deputy he was homeless but that he had a storage facility and was trying to secure government assistance so he could get a place to live. He was allowed to go on his way.
Relatives have said Delgado is mentally ill, but police say he was not delusional the night of the shooting. They say he struggled with Roberts, shot him and fled into a nearby park on Yukon Street west of Nebraska Avenue. He came across two people in the park and told them police were looking for him and not to tell police where he went.
Police Maj. George McNamara stressed that the investigation is continuing.
Delgado is being held in Orient Road Jail and is under a suicide watch.
Delgado, 34, was captured a short distance from where Roberts was shot, about 30 minutes later. He was carrying a Kel-Tec 223 rifle and two handguns. He left one handgun at the scene of the homicide, police said. The handguns are a .22 caliber, .45 caliber and 9 mm.
Among evidence collected is a grainy surveillance video from a Nebraska Avenue business that shows some of the struggle. Neither that nor the 911 call will be released, police said.
Detectives on Thursday night searched an Oldsmar storage unit leased by Delgado. McNamara said they found a .22-caliber rifle. Other than that, the small unit was “crammed with personal effects,” mostly clothes.
Federal agents have been enlisted to track the firearms - five altogether - to determine where and when they were purchased.
Delgado had problems as officer
In addition to the murder charge, Delgado, an honorably discharged Army private and former police officer in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and carrying a concealed firearm.
Virgin Islands police said Friday that Delgado would have been fired had he not quit.
“The department had a lot of problems with him, and in fact, was about to terminate him, when he resigned,” according to an e-mail sent to the Tribune by Virgin Islands police spokeswoman Melody Rames.
The e-mail included comments from Virgin Islands Police Commissioner Novelle E. Francis, who said problems with Delgado included behavior and duty issues.
“It’s a sad day, and I can’t tell you how much it hurts to know that a person who once wore our badge is now charged with killing a fellow law enforcement officer,” the e-mail states. “Our condolences go out to both families who now have to deal with this unspeakable tragedy.”
“He had problems following orders. He had problems with adhering to protocol, and also some anger problems,” Rames said during a telephone interview with the Tribune.
Funeral arrangements
A wake will be held for Roberts from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday at Blount & Curry Funeral Home-Carrollwood Chapel, 3207 W. Bearss Ave. A memorial service will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Timothy Catholic Church, 17512 Lakeshore Drive, Lutz.
At 9 a.m. Monday, Roberts’ name will be etched into the Tampa Police Memorial at 411 N. Franklin St.
Copyright 2009 Tampa Tribune