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Nathanael Roberti was wanted by Long Beach police after he allegedly jumped bail
A former Navy SEAL wanted by Long Beach police after he allegedly jumped bail last year following an arrest on assault, strangulation and other charges turned himself in on Wednesday, Newsday reported.
LBPD Lt. Eric Cregeen said that Nathanael “Lalo” Roberti, 33, surrendered without incident at the Nassau County courthouse. Bail was set at $150,000 bond or $50,000 cash, and the case was adjourned to June 16.
According to police, Roberti, was arrested during a dispute in Long Beach in April 2015 and charged with second- and third-degree assault, second-degree strangulation, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree criminal mischief.
Police declined to comment on the details of the incident, but said that Roberti — who is 6 feet 2 inches and 230 pounds, with extensive military training — “repeatedly” threatened officers who responded to the scene.
Police said that Roberti was released on $1,000 cash bail after his arrest, but failed to appear in Nassau County Criminal Court. His address history includes New York, California and Virginia.
In 2013, Roberti was the subject of a story by National Public Radio about the struggles veterans face when readjusting to civilian life, and his war experience has been picked up by major news organizations.
According to NPR, Roberti served in Afghanistan and was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. The New York Times reported that Roberti took part in a gruesome rescue mission in Afghanistan in 2005, and in a 2014 blog for Soldier Systems Daily, he wrote that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Roberti told NPR that when he came home, he found it difficult to change his mindset, and found himself in front of a special court for veterans.
"I pulled a knife on four individuals, that's why I ended up in front of a judge," he told NPR. "I mean, we'd come back from these deployments, and I just felt like, I cannot relate to anybody here in the United States anymore."
