Court records show Riverside homicide suspect has history of mental, criminal problems

The man police are searching for in the shooting death of Robert Caldwell in Riverside has a history of mental illness and addictions and was subject to an arrest warrant issued Aug. 3 for a probation violation, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court documents.

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The suspect in the Aug. 15 shooting is Sterling H. Roberts, according to Riverside Police Chief Frank Robinson.

In May, Roberts was sentenced to five years’ probation for having weapons while under disability, according to court documents.

In January, a “visibly upset” Roberts told a Centerville police officer “that he had thought about killing himself” because he had just broken up with his unnamed girlfriend, according to a sentencing memorandum filed by Roberts’ attorney, Lawrence W. Henke III.

An officer found a Taurus .38 special revolver in Roberts’ jeans pocket, according to the memorandum. He was taken to a local hospital without incident.

Court records show Roberts had a daughter in May 2016 with a former girlfriend, who is Caldwell’s ex-wife.

The sentencing memo from Roberts’ attorney states Roberts has been convicted previously for burglary in 2003 and 2006, domestic violence in 2005, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (deception to obtain a dangerous drug) in 2012, and criminal damaging in 2015.

Roberts also has borderline personality disorder, paranoia, schizophrenia and depression, and has been addicted to alcohol since his teens, opioids, heroin and meth, according to the memorandum from Roberts’ lawyer.

At the time of his arrest in January, Roberts was the minority owner of a Hamilton restoration and remodeling company, according to the memorandum.