LAKE WATEREE — Officers from the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department, SLED and the S.C. Highway Patrol are involved in a manhunt following a Thursday morning sighting of fugitive public safety officer Mike Roseboro off of Highway 21.
Roseboro’s sister returned home from work unexpectedly Thursday morning, claiming she felt ill. When she walked into her home at 15684 Highway 21, she saw Roseboro.
She said it appeared he had been on the run for several days without food or water.
She went to a neighbor’s house and called the sheriff department, however deputies are perplexed why after questioning the woman that it appears a two hour time period elapsed from when she saw her brother to when she contacted law enforcement.
Roseboro’s brother, Leroy, came to Winnsboro from Concord, N.C. to speak at a press conference asking that his brother turn himself in, but prior to the conference being held Roseboro was sighted in the Lake Wateree area of Fairfield County.
Deputy Chief Keith Lewis with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office said the investigators are still trying to determine why there was a lag in time from his sister seeing Roseboro and when she contacted law enforcement.
They believe the sister spotted Roseboro around 10:30-11:00 a.m.
Lewis said that it appears his brother and sister are cooperating as much as they can at this point.
The sister did show law enforcement officers where Roseboro ran off into a heavily wooded area, however.
At the time she saw him, Roseboro was wearing navy colored BDU pants, a dark colored hoodie and dark jacket.
Roseboro’s patrol car was discovered DAY morning behind the Masonic lodge off Highway 21.
Portions of his uniform were in the car but his service weapon was not recovered at that time, leading law enforcement to assume he is armed.
“There is no indication he is wanting to harm anyone,” Lewis said, “but we are just hoping he will turn himself in.”
Lewis conceded that the search is more challenging because Roseboro worked in law enforcement and knows their search tactics.
Sheriff’s deputies, SLED and highway patrol officers are combing the densely wooded area, where there is limited cell phone reception.
Lewis said that they may be hunting well into the night for Roseboro but that the officers would search as long as it takes until they had followed up every lead in the area.
Bloodhounds and a helicopter were called in immediately following the sighting.
Officers swept through the house and neighborhood but found no sign of Roseboro, a Fairfield County Sheriff‘s Department employee from 2001-2010.
Lewis had no new information about the status of Roseboro’s estranged wife, whom he allegedly shot Sunday evening following an argument.
Roseboro was on duty at the time of the shooting and fled the scene in his patrol car.
His children were reportedly present when the shooting took place.
“The children are with family members and we are protecting the children as well,” Lewis said.
Deputies also escorted area school buses home to make sure those children arrived safely.
Anyone with information about Roseboro’s whereabouts is asked to call the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department at 635-414 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
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