Federal lawsuit against ex-Minnesota state trooper stayed until criminal case concludes
Feb. 20—ROCHESTER — The federal civil case against former Minnesota State Patrol trooper Shane Roper will be stayed until the criminal case in Olmsted County concludes, according to court documents filed on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
The stipulation order filed by the magistrate judge said the defense counsel for Roper will submit a status update letter to the court within seven days of the criminal case's resolution.
Roper, 32, is currently facing nine criminal charges in Olmsted County District Court stemming from the May 2024 three-vehicle crash that killed 18-year-old Olivia Flores of Owatonna.
The crash occurred around 5:45 p.m. on May 18, 2024, at the intersection of Memorial Parkway and 12th Street Southwest, near Apache Mall. According to the criminal complaint, Roper was speeding in his State Patrol squad car as he entered the intersection without his emergency lights or sirens activated. Flores was riding in the backseat of the vehicle he struck.
Roper's most recent court appearance was on Feb. 12 when both parties continued arguing about what evidence will be admissible in court. The court will take the arguments under advisement on April 21 after both parties submit briefs pertaining to their arguments. Until then, it is unlikely that any court hearings for the criminal case will be scheduled.
The Flores family filed a federal lawsuit against Roper in December 2024, alleging he violated their daughter's constitutional rights and wrongfully caused her death.
The first two counts of the lawsuit allege Roper violated Flores' due process rights, noting that as a result of Roper's actions on May 18, Flores suffered fatal injuries.
"Having created such danger, Defendant Roper failed to protect Ms. Flores from the danger he created and that she would not have faced but for Defendant Roper's criminally reckless conduct," the suit alleges.
The third count of the lawsuit asserts the family's wrongful death claim.
According to the lawsuit filed on Dec. 11, Flores' parents are seeking compensation for Roper's alleged violation of their daughter's 14th Amendment rights, which protects citizens from discrimination and deprivation of life, liberty or property.
"Defendant Roper was excessively and recklessly speeding through a busy intersection in Rochester, Minnesota at over twice the posted speed limit in an area Roper knew to have heavy traffic," the lawsuit alleges. "Defendant Roper saw and appreciated that there were other vehicles and occupants in the area and he consciously disregarded the risk he created by his shocking driving conduct."
During the investigation of the crash, the Rochester Police Department found that Roper "reached a peak speed of 83 mph with 100% full throttle engaged" five seconds before impact, according to the lawsuit. Roper was traveling around 70 mph 1.4 seconds before the collision.
The lawsuit also details eight previous disciplinary actions taken against Roper during his eight years with the Minnesota State Patrol.
Prior to the May 2024 fatal crash, Roper was disciplined for his involvement in four crashes . The other four disciplinary actions referenced in the lawsuit included failing to record events, careless or reckless driving, driving behavior, emergency vehicle operations and conduct violations.
Roper was dismissed from Minnesota State Patrol on Sept. 3, 2024 , after the Minnesota DPS's Internal Affairs investigation found that Roper wasn't watching his speed and attempted to close the gap between himself and the vehicle he was pursuing. The investigation concluded that there was no "legitimate law enforcement reason that justified Roper's driving conduct."
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