Sep 8 – Dear Answer Man: I’ve been reading stories about this state trooper who was involved in the crash that killed the Owatonna girl. It’s all incredibly sad. But unlike other court and crime stories in the Post Bulletin, we haven’t seen an arrest photo of the suspect. Is the Post Bulletin hiding him for a reason? – Suspicious Absence.
Dear Suspect,
First of all, thank you for reading and paying attention to detail. You will be at the front of the class for your efforts.
The quick and easy answer to the question of why the Post Bulletin didn’t publish his photo is this: there isn’t one.
Most alleged criminals — everyone is innocent until proven guilty — are given a photo of themselves when they are put in jail after being arrested. It’s pretty simple. Get arrested by the police, get taken downtown and booked, smile for the camera.
But in the case of state trooper Shane Roper, things didn’t happen in the usual order.
The crash — the event that led to his criminal charges — occurred on May 18, 2024. But Roper wasn’t formally charged with a crime until July 9, 2024, nearly two months later, after the Rochester Police Department had thoroughly examined the evidence. So the charges were filed without him being arrested. In fact, according to Olmsted County Adult Detention Center staff and court records, Roper was never arrested. He was never formally arrested for his alleged crime, and he may never be.
A statement from the Olmsted County District Attorney’s Office said essentially the same thing. Roper was booked during a citation, not in custody. The judge did not order Roper to be booked in person, and at this point, Roper may never be booked.
That means there is no photo.
Trust me, if the Post Bulletin had an arrest photo, we’d use it.
The Post Bulletin recently contacted the Minnesota State Patrol to ask if they had a file photo of Roper that we could use. We were told they did not have a headshot on file.
In the meantime, we will continue to report on the ongoing case.
On August 29, Roper pleaded not guilty. His next court appearance is currently scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on November 21, 2024, which is a settlement conference. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on March 25, 2025, and a jury trial is currently scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on March 31, 2025.
Send your questions to Answer Man at answerman@postbulletin.com.
