The South Dakota House has passed a bill that allows, but doesn’t require it to impeach Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, charged with 3 misdemeanors for hitting and killing a pedestrian in September.
House Bill 7001 originally contained two articles of impeachment, but those were scrapped after a judge barred the release of any further information on the accident investigation until the criminal case is resolved.
The bill now lets lawmakers determine if impeachment is necessary at the end of the legal case against him. Legislative leaders describe the change as allowing due process.
Ravnsborg himself said through a spokesman that he was pleased with the measure’s passage since it will “allow the legal system to proceed without further interference.”
The attorney general also said he looks forward to the resolution of the case and will continue to work everyday for the people of South Dakota, reinforcing earlier statements that he won’t resign.
Ravnsborg is scheduled to make his first court appearance late Friday afternoon in Pierre. Prosecutors say he was driving distracted when he drifted onto the shoulder of a highway near Highmore and hit 55-year old Joe Boever.
Ravnsborg says he thought he hit a deer, but investigators said on a video of an interview with the attorney general that Boever’s glasses were found on the passenger seat of the car, meaning his head came through the windshield.