Trooper charged in death of Owatonna teen no longer a Minnesota State Patrol employee

The state trooper charged in a crash that killed an Owatonna teenager earlier this year is no longer employed by the Minnesota State Patrol, the agency confirmed on Friday.

Shane Roper’s last day with the State Patrol was Tuesday.

Roper, 32, faces charges of second-degree manslaughter, criminal vehicular operation, reckless driving and careless driving in connection with the death of 18-year-old Olivia Flores on May 18.

Roper pleaded not guilty to all charges during his preliminary hearing last week. A jury trial is scheduled to begin on March 31.

As previously reported, Roper was driving his squad car at 83 mph — more than twice the speed limit — with his lights and siren off when he T-boned a Ford Focus carrying Flores and her friends outside Apache Mall in Rochester.

Investigators say Roper was attempting to catch up to another driver who had committed a traffic offense. A 20-year-old man was riding along with the trooper as well.

Internal documents from the Minnesota State Patrol show Roper had a history of being involved with crashes during his eight years with the agency. Records show he was written up after each incident, and all together, he faced only one day of suspension.