Venue change hearing delayed in Flores case

A settlement conference and motion hearing were pushed back for the second time in eight weeks.

Shane Elroy Roper, 33, of Hayfield, was expected to appear in Olmsted County District Court on Oct. 21.

He faces multiple counts of criminal vehicular operation and reckless driving, as well as one count of second-degree manslaughter in the May 18, 2024 death of Olivia Flores, 18.

Former Steele County Attorney Dan McIntosh, who is the Flores family’s attorney, said the hearing was rescheduled at the request of Judge Lisa R. Hayne, who determined not enough time had been allotted for the appearance.

A new hearing date about a change of venue has not been set.

Roper’s defense team has argued that he won’t receive a fair trial in Olmsted County — where the crash occurred — because of the attention the case has drawn in the past 18 months.

A pre-trial hearing in the case is set for Feb. 24; a jury trial is scheduled to begin March 2.

An amended witness list has been presented by the State of Minnesota, to potentially include testimony from multiple members of both the state patrol and Rochester Police Department; the other passengers in the car Flores was riding in; the passenger in Roper’s squad; and several Mayo Health Systems staff members.

Flores, who was three weeks away from graduating from Owatonna High School, was a backseat passenger in a car that was struck broadside by a patrol vehicle Roper was driving.

She died the next day from her injuries; five other people sustained injuries, including the “ride-along” passenger in the patrol car.

The criminal complaint against Roper used witness statements and information from the squad’s computer system to allege he was driving 83 mph as he approached a busy intersection near Apache Mall in Rochester. The speed limit in the area is 40 mph.

Further information indicated he had not activated the patrol car’s lights or siren as he pursued someone he suspected of speeding, though he later claimed it was not an “active pursuit.”