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Minnesota Trooper’s past record examined
The personnel file for Minnesota State Patrol Trooper Shane Roper, who was charged Tuesday in a deadly crash in Rochester, Minn., reveals he had faced disciplinary action for four previous crashes before the fatal wreck.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - The personnel file for Minnesota State Patrol Trooper Shane Roper, who was charged Tuesday in a deadly crash in Rochester, Minn., reveals he had faced disciplinary action for four previous crashes before the fatal wreck.
The file shows Trooper Roper was involved in four crashes between February 2019 and April 2023 before the crash outside Apache Mall in May that killed Olivia Flores.
Trooper Roper was charged with manslaughter on Tuesday, with investigators saying he was driving at an excessive speed on a city street – apparently trying to catch up with a driver who had committed a minor traffic offense. Flores was a passenger in another vehicle that attempted to turn into the mall when Trooper Roper's squad came flying through the intersection. Flores was killed in the crash and several other people – including a student trooper in Roper's squad – were injured.
Reviewing his behavior before the crash, investigators found several instances where Trooper Roper drove at high speeds in just the three hours before he crashed into the vehicle carrying Flores.
Roper was suspended for a day in two of the crashes and reprimanded for the other two. Currently, he is on leave and Minnesota State Patrol reviews the case – which is protocol under the trooper's labor contract.
RELATED: MN state trooper was 'hauling a--' before Rochester crash that killed teen: Charges
February 2019
Trooper Roper crashed into another squad while responding to a call for assistance on Feb. 16, 2019. The report says the crash caused "extensive" damage to both vehicles and left the other driver hurt.
Summed up, the report says: "Trooper Roper failed to operate his State Patrol unit in a manner consistent with State Patrol policy."
After the crash, Trooper Roper was reprimanded with the letter being added to his personnel file.
May 2021
Trooper Roper was suspended for a day after another crash on May 22, 2021.
On that date, around 6:30 p.m., Trooper Roper crashed into another motorist, apparently driving through a stop sign, leaving both vehicles damaged. The file states that Trooper Roper wasn't responding to a call or attempting to make a traffic stop at the time of the crash.
Trooper Roper told investigators after the fact that he simply "did not recall seeing the stop sign nor did he recall any events that led up to the crash."
The report says there is a "stop ahead" sign about 400 feet before the actual stop sign.
December 2021
Months after the May 2021 crash, Trooper Roper was again reprimanded for another crash on Dec. 29, 2021.
This time around, Trooper Roper crashed into a deer on his way to serve an order for protection. Accidents happen, but Trooper Roper was reprimanded for this incident because he was driving 22 miles over the speed limit at the time (77 mph in a 55 mph zone) when road conditions were icy and snowy. Investigators also learned that Trooper Roper was responding to help a Dodge County deputy, who called his phone for backup, without notifying dispatch or creating an event in their system – as required by policy.
April 2023
Trooper Roper was again suspended for a single day after an April 2023 crash.
In that crash, which happened along Highway 52 in Rochester, much like the deadly May 2024, Trooper Roper was on routine patrol and crashed his car while speeding, trying to catch up with a speeding driver. The file says Trooper Roper had accelerated to greater than 90 mph and lost control of his squad while entering an exit ramp, following the driver.
The report says his lights and sirens weren't on when he wiped out. The manslaughter charges stated Roper's lights and sirens weren't on when he crashed in Rochester on May 18, 2024.
Notably, the one-day suspension was handed down to Roper by then-Lieutenant Colonel Christina Bogojevic – who is now the head of the Minnesota State Patrol.
Olivia Flores (Supplied)
Benefit plan for the Flores family
A benefit is now planned to support the Flores family in the aftermath of the crash.
The event is set to be held at the Owatonna Eagles Club on July 27 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be a pasta dinner and a silent auction. All funds raised will be donated to the family.
Tickets for the event are at $15 per person and can be purchased at the Eagles Club or United Prairie Bank.
Checks can also be made out to Olivia Flores Benefit – or you can Venmo @KrenzelokPhotography.
Anyone with questions can reach out to floresbenefit@gmail.com.