The Minnesota state trooper charged in a fatal Rochester crash earlier this year was traveling at approximately 70 mph at the point of impact of the crash, a search warrant filed on Friday reveals.

Minnesota State Trooper Shane Elroy Roper, 32, of Hayfield, Minn., will make his first appearance in court Aug. 29 on nine criminal charges related to a crash that killed 18-year-old Olivia Flores, who was days away from graduating high school.

The crash happened on May 18 at the intersection of Memorial Parkway and 12th Street Southwest.

Preliminary information from the scene indicates Roper was traveling eastbound on Highway 14, entering from Highway 52. According to the search warrant, Roper’s ride-along passenger told police that a vehicle was identified as a speed and seat belt violator.

“Trooper Roper was attempting to catch up to the vehicle to initiate a traffic stop,” the search warrant said.

Squad cameras and the passenger confirmed that the traffic light was green for the right-away for Roper.

Before the crash, Roper was traveling 83 mph in a 40-mph zone in his squad car, according to a criminal complaint. Witnesses told police that the oncoming vehicle was “flying” and said they did not see or hear emergency lights or a siren, the complaint said.

The front seat passenger in the car Flores was in said the driver had a green light to make the left turn into the Apache Mall parking lot. The search warrant said the speed of the Ford Focus, whether the blinker was activated or if braking was applied is unknown.

Due to his speed, Roper was unable to brake or maneuver his squad car to avoid the collision, the investigation found.

Previous court documents said Roper’s vehicle was traveling “at least” 55 mph when his squad car struck the Ford Focus. The search warrant said that based on GPS data reflected in the squad camera, Roper was traveling at approximately 70 mph, 30 mph over the posted speed limit.

The impact sent both cars east through the intersection to collide with a Toyota Rav4. Five others were injured.

The search warrant was obtained by the Rochester Police Department on May 28 and withheld until the investigation resulted in the filing of a complaint against the subjects of the investigation.

On July 9, the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office brought forth nine charges against the state trooper, including felony counts of second-degree manslaughter, one count of criminal vehicular homicide and three counts of criminal vehicular operation. He also faces four misdemeanors.

Police retrieved the Event Data Recorders from the state patrol squad car and the Ford Focus.

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