State trooper charged with criminal vehicular homicide makes first appearance in court (2024)

ROCHESTER — Dozens, donning Owatonna T-shirts and hoodies, filed into an Olmsted County courtroom behind the family of Olivia Flores, the 18-year-old who died in a fatal vehicle crash involving a Minnesota State Patrol trooper.

Shane Elroy Roper, 32, of Hayfield, Minnesota, made his first appearance in court on Thursday morning. Roper was released on the standard conditions, including not driving under any circ*mstances. His bail without conditions was set at $100,000.

Roper is facing nine criminal charges in Olmsted County District Court, including felony counts of second-degree manslaughter, criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation. He pleaded not guilty to all nine counts on Aug. 29.

A settlement conference is scheduled for Nov. 21, and a pretrial hearing is set for March 25, 2025, with a jury trial to begin the following week.

According to the criminal complaint, Roper quickly approached the intersection of Apache Drive Southwest, an area where the primary entry points to the Apache Mall are located. This area tends to have "very active traffic ... on a typical Saturday."

When Roper's car was 400 feet from the intersection, the squad camera showed a green traffic signal for eastbound traffic. A larger SUV also traveling east entered the left turn lane to go onto Memorial Parkway Southwest, obstructing the view for vehicles turning onto Apache Drive Southwest, the complaint said.

A Ford Focus with three passengers was in that turn lane and attempted to drive through the intersection.

"Due to Roper's excessive speed (traveling 83 miles per hour and at full throttle up until 1.4 seconds before impact), when the Ford Focus started through the intersection, Roper was unable to sufficiently brake or maneuver his squad car to avoid the collision," the complaint says.

Roper's squad car hit the passenger side of the Ford Focus while traveling at least 55 mph. The impact sent both cars east through the intersection to collide with a Toyota Rav4. There were two people in the Toyota.

Witnesses told police that the oncoming vehicle was "flying." Witnesses did not see or hear emergency lights or a siren.

The rear passenger in the Ford Focus died from blunt force injuries during the crash, the complaint said. The individual was previously identified as Flores, the Owatonna teen just days from her high school graduation.

According to the complaint, the Ford Focus driver sustained a liver laceration, a bruised kidney and numerous additional minor injuries. The front passenger sustained a broken pelvis, lacerated kidney and other minor injuries. The passengers of the Toyota Rav4 sustained physical pain from the collision. In the squad car, Roper had a ride-along passenger who sustained rib bruising and multiple fractures from the crash.

Weeks after the incident, Roper confirmed to law enforcement that he was attempting to "close the gap" between his squad car and a vehicle suspected of being in violation of a traffic code. Roper said it was not an active pursuit and that he was not paying attention to his speed. He told police he did believe his lights were activated.

Law enforcement revealed that three hours leading up to the collision on May 18, Roper accelerated to over 99 mph while attempting to initiate traffic stops. There was a consistent pattern of Roper reaching and maintaining high speeds without activating his emergency lights at all or turning them off while driving at high rates of speed.

The complaint said Roper was also found traveling at 135 mph in a 55-mph zone on May 18 in response to a medical assistance call.

"On the way to this call, he noted to his passenger that medical assistance likely would not be needed and that driving in such a manner was normal behavior for him," the complaint said.

Olivia Estright joined the Post Bulletin in 2024. She graduated from Penn State University with a degree in digital and print journalism and moved to Rochester from Pittsburgh, Pa. Contact her at 507-285-7712 or oestright@postbulletin.com.