ROCHESTER, Minn. — A former Minnesota State Trooper is being sued in federal court by the parents of an Owatonna teen for his role in a fatal crash that claimed her life.
Carlos and Stephanie Flores filed the lawsuit in connection with the death of their daughter Olivia, who was 18 years old on May 18, 2024, when the car she was a passenger in was struck by a Minnesota State Patrol cruiser driving at a high rate of speed. The driver of that squad was on-duty trooper Shane Elroy Roper, who investigators say was driving at 83 mph in a 40 mph zone with his lights off when a Ford Escort carrying the teens entered a lefthand turn lane on a road in Rochester.
Reconstruction of the crash showed Roper's squad struck the teens at a minimum of 55 mph. Flores died from injuries suffered in the crash, and two other teens inside the Ford were badly injured. Witnesses said neither the trooper's lights or siren were activated and described the trooper's squad as "flying" and "hauling ass."
The lawsuit — filed in federal court Wednesday — seeks compensatory, punitive and general damages, along with reasonable attorney’s fees and costs alleging that Roper deprived Olivia of her civil rights as spelled out in the Fourteenth Amendment.
Roper was criminally charged in Olmsted County with nine counts, including one count of second-degree manslaughter (felony), one count of criminal vehicular homicide (felony), five counts of criminal vehicular operation (felony), reckless driving (gross misdemeanor) and one count of careless driving (misdemeanor).
When officials reviewed Roper's discipline records and driving patterns, it was found Roper had been in four prior crashes due to either inattentive driving or excessive speed. In the three hours leading up to the collision on May 18, Roper accelerated to 99 mph on numerous occasions to initiate traffic stops for suspected petty offenses. During one of these instances, the trooper drove 135 mph in a 55 mph speed zone with neither lights nor sirens activated.
Roper was fired from his job with the state patrol on Sept. 3, 2024. In a review of the fatal crash, Minnesota State Patrol Assistant Chief, Lt. Colonel Jeremy Geiger condemned Roper's actions and accused him of violating departmental orders.
“[Defendant Roper’s] conduct shows a disregard for the State Patrol's mission of traffic safety and reflects discredit upon the agency. There is simply no justification for Trp. Roper's decision to speed through this intersection.”
The lawsuit filed by Flores' parents goes over Roper's disciplinary history in detail, including multiple crashes and significant lapses in judgment. The plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial and seeking compensatory, special, and punitive damages along with reasonable attorneys’ fees.
Shane Roper is currently scheduled to go on trial in Olivia Flores' death in late March of 2025.