>>State trooper charged with manslaughter in Rochester crash that killed 18-year-old woman
(Rochester, MN) — Minnesota State Trooper Shane Roper has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminal vehicular homicide and other counts after a May crash in Rochester that killed 18-year-old high school student Olivia Flores of Owatonna and injured five others, including the trooper and a ride-along passenger. The Rochester Police Department says Roper activated emergency lights and accelerated to 98 miles an hour in an attempt to stop a motorist for a traffic violation, exited the highway near Apache Mall, and was traveling 83 miles an hour without emergency lights in a 40-mile-per-hour zone just before the crash. Investigators say Roper took his foot off the accelerator 1.4 seconds before hitting the passenger side of the vehicle carrying Flores, and had driven at high speed without emergency lights at least four times that day, topping out at 135 miles per hour. His discipline records show four prior crashes in his squad car due to either inattentive driving or excessive speed.
Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrom in a letter says, “Trooper Roper, violating his duty in such a gross fashion, caused the death of a young lady celebrating her impending graduation from high school. Several other persons suffered serious injury. Roper’s conduct violated the State Patrol’s Core Values…. [and] cannot be tolerated.” State Patrol Chief Christina Bogojevic is expressing “deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Olivia Flores and to the other community members affected by the tragic fatal crash.” She says the conduct alleged in the criminal complaint “does not align with the State Patrol’s core values,” but says they cannot comment further due to ongoing criminal proceedings.
>>Investigators determine parents of newborn girl whose remains found in central MN ditch in 1980
(St. Cloud, MN) — Investigators in central Minnesota’s Stearns County say they’ve determined who were the parents of a newborn girl whose remains were found in a ditch south of Saint Cloud in April of 1980, but there’s not enough evidence to send the case to prosecutors for charges. Sheriff’s Lieutenant Zach Sorenson tells the Star Tribune the child’s mother has died and the father is living in Minnesota and spoke with an investigator. Sorenson indicates it’s still an open question whether the baby was alive when left by the side of the road near Saint Boniface Chapel in Saint Augusta. He told the paper, “We haven’t been able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a criminal element to the child’s death.” Her body was exhumed in 2018 to develop a D-N-A profile.
>>Former State Representative Metsa released from St. Louis County Jail
(Duluth, MN) — The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office says former state Representative Jason Metsa from the Iron Range city of Virginia has been released from custody without charges at this time. Jail records show 43-year-old Metsa was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Prosecutors say a charging decision has not been made and the matter is pending further investigation and review. Metsa was in the Minnesota House from 2013 through 2018 and was a deputy commissioner on the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board.
>>Alabama Woman Charged with DUI, Bribery After Arrested for Driving Semi-Truck Drunk, Attempting to Bribe an Officer
(Grand Forks, ND) — A woman from Birmingham, Alabama arrested for D-U-I also faces an attempted bribery charge after allegedly offering to pay a Grand Forks, North Dakota police officer to let her go. Officers arrested 34-year-old Demetria Clayton after responding to a report of a possible drunk driver in a semi in Grand Forks. Clayton admitted to drinking alcohol, showing signs of impairment, and failed a field sobriety test. While being arrested, Clayton asked to speak with an officer off camera, then asked if the person was willing to let her go for $1,000. When the officer refused, Clayton offered $3,000; court records says she stated she didn’t want to lose her license or be arrested.
>>MN DNR Announces 9 New Certified Fishing Records
(Undated) — The Minnesota DNR has certified nine new fishing records this week set by anglers in March. Records for the weight category include coho salmon, black crappie, mooneye and yellow bass. Catch-and-release category records include brown trout, lake trout, two shovelnose sturgeons and smallmouth bass. The DNR expanded its catch-and-release category in March.
>>Amir Locke’s Family Moves Forward with Civil Lawsuit Against Minneapolis, MPD Officer
(Minneapolis, MN) — The parents of Amir Locke are moving forward with their 2023 lawsuit, accusing the city of Minneapolis and an M-P-D officer of violating their son’s constitutional rights. On February 2nd, 2022, SWAT officers broke into Locke’s downtown Minneapolis apartment, looking for his cousin, a suspect in a St. Paul murder. Locke was sleeping on the couch and was fatally shot in a matter of seconds after officers said he reached for a weapon. A judge denied the motion to dismiss the lawsuit Monday, stating “The body-worn camera footage of the incident does not establish that Amir’s actions justified the use of deadly force.”
>>Hibbing Man Arrested for Trafficking Meth, Fentanyl
(Hibbing, MN) — A 54-year-old man is in federal custody, accused of trafficking meth and fentanyl. Early Sunday morning, a vehicle believed to be transporting drugs for the suspect, Phillip Davis, was stopped by the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force on Highway 37 near the Hibbing Airport. A search warrant turned up 158 grams of meth and Davis was arrested just under two hours later outside his Hibbing apartment. A follow-up search of his residence turned up 32 grams of meth and 51 grams of fentanyl. Davis has been previously indicted in federal court on similar charges, pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing in October.
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