State trooper charged with felony criminal vehicular homicide, manslaughter in crash that killed Olivia Flores

The Minnesota State Patrol trooper who was involved in the May 18 crash that killed an Owatonna cheerleader weeks before her high school graduation has formally been charged in Olmsted County District Court with five felonies, three gross misdemeanors and an additional misdemeanor for his part in the crash.

Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem announced Tuesday that criminal charges have been filed against Minnesota State Trooper Shane Elroy Roper, 32, for his actions causing a motor vehicle crash on May 18 at the intersection of Apache Mall Drive and 12th Street SW in Rochester. As a result of the crash, 18-year-old Olivia Flores of Owatonna died, and five other persons were injured. Charges include second degree manslaughter along with criminal vehicular homicide related to Flores, as well as several charges of criminal vehicular operation related to the other victims.

In accordance with the troopers’ labor contract, Roper remains on paid investigative leave at this time.

The criminal complaint

At approximately 5:44 p.m. on May 18, emergency responders were dispatched to a serious motor vehicle crash at the entrance to Apache Mall. Three vehicles were involved with seven occupants. Initial observations were that a Minnesota State Patrol unit driven by Trooper Shane Roper had t-boned a Ford Focus and one or both vehicles were then pushed into a Toyota Rav4. Emergency personnel were rapidly extricating and providing medical treatment to the occupants of the Focus and Rav4. All occupants were taken to the emergency department. Flores died a few hours later as a result of her injuries. Five other occupants suffered serious injuries including broken bones and other significant injuries. Roper had minor injuries.

The Rochester Police Department investigated the crash. The investigation revealed that Roper had been stationary on the exit ramp from 6th St. SW onto Hwy 52 doing traffic enforcement. Roper activated his emergency lights and exited the ramp at a very high rate of speed reaching 98 miles an hour, attempting to catch up to a traffic violator, before exiting onto 12th St. SW. Exiting the ramp and entering 12th St. SW eastbound, Roper turned off his emergency lights and sirens and accelerated to full throttle reaching 83 mph approaching the mall entrance. The speed limit on 12th St. SW is 40 mph.

East and west bound traffic on 12th St. SW had green lights. Other vehicles were in and around the intersection. Roper maintained a full throttle without lights or sirens. A westbound Ford Focus began a left turn into the mall and Trooper Roper’s squad slammed into the passenger side of the Focus. Investigation revealed that Roper did not come off the full throttle until the Focus started into the intersection, approximately 1.4 seconds before impact.

Roper’s vehicle violently impacted the Focus.

Other victims in the crash sustained a liver laceration, bruised kidney and numerous additional minor injuries (driver of the Focus); a broken pelvis, lacerated kidney and numerous other additional minor injuries (passenger in the Focus); and physical pain due to the collision (driver and passenger of the Rav4). Roper had a passenger in his squad car — commonly referred to as a “ride along” — at the time of collision, who sustained rib bruising and multiple fractures during the crash.

In a statement Roper provided law enforcement several weeks later, he said he was attempting to “close the gap” between his squad car and the vehicle he suspected of being in violation of a traffic code but said that it was not an active pursuit and allegedly admitted to not paying attention to his speed.

Following the charges being filed, Col. Christian Bogojevic, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, released the following statement:

“We express our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Olivia Flores and to the other community members affected by the tragic fatal crash that occurred on May 18 in Rochester … The conduct alleged in the criminal complaint is concerning and does not align with the State Patrol’s core values. The announcement of charges marks the next steps in the judicial process related to this case. We respect that process and cannot comment further due to ongoing criminal proceedings.”

History of violations by Roper

The Minnesota State Patrol has specific guidelines and policy related to high-speed driving. The State Patrol requires periodic driving related training for its troopers.

Over the course of his eight-year career, Roper has attended approximately 13 driving training courses for a total of 107 hours. Investigation revealed that at least four times earlier in the day on May 18, Roper engaged in high-speed driving without emergency lights, in one instance reaching a speed of 135 mph — in a 55 mph zone — other times over 99 mph. In each of these instances, Roper either did not initiate emergency lights or turned them off while maintaining extreme speeds.

According to court records, Roper allegedly told his passenger that “medical assistance likely would not be needed” in the medical assistance call he had received that led to his driving at 135 mph, and he allegedly added that “driving in such a manner was normal behavior” for him.

It is the policy of the Minnesota State Patrol that personnel have a “duty to protect all peoples’ lives to the extent possible when enforcing the law.” Roper violated that policy driving in a grossly negligent manner attempting to catch up to a petty traffic violator on a consistently busy roadway, according to Ostrem.

“Trooper Roper, violating his duty in such a gross fashion, caused the death of a young lady celebrating her impending graduation from high school,” Ostrem added. “Several other persons suffered serious injury. Roper’s conduct violated the State Patrol’s Core Values. As with any other person driving recklessly and without regard to very basic rules of the road, Mr. Roper’s conduct cannot be tolerated.”

“This driving conduct by Trooper Roper establishes a consistent pattern of egregious driving conduct, which was known and effectively condoned by Minnesota State Patrol,” said Dan McIntosh, an attorney with Restovich Braun and Associates who represents the Flores family. In a press release, the law firm detailed its own investigation, revealing Roper has a “documented history of shocking, dangerous and unlawful driving conduct” while on duty, and that he had previously been disciplined for four crashes while driving a squad car, each of which were due to excessive speed, inattentive driving or both.

“Trooper Roper should not have been on the road in a Minnesota State Patrol squad car on May 18, 2024. During the years leading up to the day he hit and killed Olivia Flores, institutional failures by the Minnesota State Patrol and Department of Public Safety repeatedly put Trooper Roper back on the road after he had endangered others while on duty,” McIntosh said. “As Minnesota State Patrol Col. Christian Bogojevic stated just two days before Trooper Roper hit and killed Olivia Flores, ‘Losing a loved one because of a crash that was likely preventable is heartbreaking and unacceptable.’”

The Minnesota State Patrol had initiated a speed enforcement crackdown less than three weeks prior to the May 18 crash.

“It is heartbreaking and unacceptable to the Flores family that the State of Minnesota allowed Trooper Roper to be on the road in a Minnesota State Patrol squad car after knowing that he posed a clear danger to others,” added McIntosh. “The Flores family calls on the Commissioner of Public Safety Bob Jacobson, Minnesota State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to commence an open and independent investigation of the organizational failures that led to Trooper Roper taking Olivia Flores’ life, and seriously injuring the other victims in this crash, to avoid such a senseless and preventable tragedy in the future.”