Trooper Charged With Deadly Rochester Crash Fired by State Patrol

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota State Patrol has confirmed that the man charged with causing the death of an Owatonna teenager is no longer a State Trooper.

A spokesperson has indicated that 32-year-old Shane Roper's eight-year career with the State Patrol was terminated on Tuesday. His release from employment followed an internal investigation that was launched after a State Patrol squad car driven by the Hayfield man collided with a car at the entrance to Apache Mall in Rochester on May 18 in a crash that claimed the life of 18-year-old Olivia Flores.

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The young woman died just weeks before she was scheduled to graduate from Owatonna High School. Five other people, including Roper and his ride-along passenger, were injured in what ended up being a three-vehicle collision.

About a month and a half after the crash occurred, Roper was charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminal vehicular homicide, and several counts of criminal vehicular operation. He is currently scheduled to stand trial next March.

Olmsted County Court - photo courtesy Kraus-Anderson

The criminal complaint alleges Roper accelerated to a speed of 83 mph without the emergency lights on the squad car activated while he traveled east on 12th Street Southwest after exiting Highway 52. The court documents says investigators determined he lifted his foot from the accelerator just 1.4 seconds before the deadly collision.

Shane Roper criminal complaint - Olmsted County Court

Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem says the investigation also found that Roper had engaged in high-speed driving at least four times on the same day without emergency lights, with his speed topping out at 135 mph during one of the episodes. State Patrol records also indicate he had been involved in four other crashes while driving a State Patrol vehicle and received a one day suspension for one of the incidents.

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