The South Dakota Dept of Public Safety has released 3 hours of video of interviews conducted with Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg about his Sept 12th accident in which his car hit and killed a pedestrian along Hwy 14 near Highmore.
Ravnsborg has been charged with 3 misdemeanors in the death of 55-year old Joe Boever of Highmore, who was walking on the north side of the highway when he was hit.
In the video, investigators Special Agents from the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation tell Ravnsborg that, based on their evidence, it appeared he was on the phone at the time of the crash, reading political articles.
Prosecutors say both of the attorney general’s phones were locked a little more than a minute before he hit 55-year old Joe Boever, but Ravnsborg insists in the video that he put the phone down before the impact and reached to turn off the radio.
The investigators then say they found Boever’s glasses on the passenger seat of Ravnsborg’s car, so his face must have come through the windshield.
Ravnsborg responds by denying he saw Boever the night of the accident, insisting the first time he saw him was when he found the body the following morning.
The South Dakota Dept of Public Safety led the investigation into the accident, but much of the work was done by the North Dakota BCI, a Minnesota county coroner, and a Wyoming private crash reconstructionist – all to avoid conflict of interest problems.
Gov Kristi Noem had pledged to release all available information on investigation after the charges were filed against Ravnsborg. That information, including the video interviews, can be found at: https://dps.sd.gov/.
Meanwhile, the South Dakota House on Tues began impeachment proceedings against the attorney general..It will require a simple majority to advance the charges to the Senate, where a 2/3rds majority is needed for conviction.
Also yesterday, Gov Noem called on Ravnsborg to resign, something he’s said he won’t do.