Details of Trooper Roper’s on-duty crashes revealed in personnel file
(ABC 6 News) – A look at Minnesota State Trooper Shane Roper’s personnel file reveals little disciplinary action taken by the State Patrol in the wake of four seemingly preventable crashes that happened on-duty.
Roper was charged Wednesday, July 9, with 2nd-degree manslaughter, criminal vehicular homicide, and multiple counts of criminal vehicular operation after allegedly crashing into the car containing Olivia Flores, Angelina Bartz, and Katarina Bartz on May 18.
Flores died in the crash.
The Bartz sisters sustained serious injuries.
Roper’s charging documents referenced four other crashes while on duty as a state trooper, as well as a long history of speeding incidents.
Following the crash, Flores’ family called Minnesota officials to investigate “the organizational failures” that led up to the crash.
ABC 6 News put in an open records request for Roper’s driving and disciplinary records with the State Patrol, and obtained the trooper’s personnel report on the same day.
The personnel report is embedded in full below.
The personnel file contains four letters of reprimand, each for a crash that happened between 2019 and 2023.
The letters contain details of the crashes and Roper’s role, as well as the disciplinary actions taken for violating the MSP’s order not to “operate … any State Patrol unit in a careless or reckless manner.”
After reading the file, ABC 6 News inquired whether Roper had received additional driving training or other disciplinary measures not listed in the file.
“The documents provided are complete, the letter issued illustrates the corrective action,” PIO Michael Lee with the Minnesota State Patrol said in an email.
On February 16, 2019, Roper’s personnel file states that he crashed into another state vehicle while responding to a call for assistance, resulting in damage to both cars and “injury to the driver of the other unit.”
A letter of reprimand was placed into Roper’s personnel file. There is no record of other disciplinary action, and the letter said if there was no further disciplinary action taken against Roper for two years, he could request to have it removed.
Roper did not get that opportunity.
On May 22, 2021, Roper got into a traffic crash with another motorist “while on routine patrol duties,” a second letter states.
According to the second letter of reprimand, Roper was not responding to any active call.
His lights and siren were off, and Roper drove through a stop sign intersection, failing to yield to a turning vehicle and striking the left rear of the car.
Roper said he did not remember seeing the stop sign, or any events leading up to the crash, according to the second letter.
For that incident, the Minnesota State Patrol gave Roper an 8-hour suspension, which was deducted from his vacation bank, according to his file.
On December 29, 2021, Roper struck a deer on a Dodge County road while serving an order for protection, according to a third letter.
According to his file, Roper was traveling on an “ice/snow-packed roadway” with a 55 mph speed limit at 77 mph minutes before the crash.
The file states Roper had agreed to respond to a crisis call without notifying dispatch shortly before the crash.
Roper received another letter of reprimand in his personnel file, but was again unable to petition for its removal before two years were up.
On April 10, 2023, a fourth letter of reprimand details Roper’s crash into a cable barrier off Highway 52 in Rochester.
According to the file, Roper observed a speeding vehicle and accelerated to a high rate of speed–above 90 mph, which activated his squad video camera.
Roper cut across all lanes of traffic to follow the vehicle onto the 16th Street exit ramp, lost control of his car, left the roadway, and hit a cable barrier.
According to the letter of reprimand, Roper’s lights and siren were not active.
He received another 8-hour unpaid suspension.
The second set of hours were not taken from his vacation time, according to the file.
Roper remains on paid administrative leave with the Minnesota State Patrol, according to representatives.
PIO Lee with the MSP said in addition to the personnel notes, Roper has one internal complaint open in Iowa.
Roper’s personnel file also includes two awards he received for actions taken on duty — a Life-saving Award for a Dec. 18, 2021 incident, and a Chief’s Commendation for enforcing seatbelt use in 2021.
Roper is scheduled to appear in Olmsted County Court on the May 18 manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide charges Aug. 29.
RELATED REPORTING:
UPDATE: Names released in fatal crash near Apache Mall in Rochester – ABC 6 News – kaaltv.com
Lawyer for Owatonna family speaks on fatal crash investigation – ABC 6 News – kaaltv.com