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April 12 (UPI) -- South Dakota's House of Representatives voted Tuesday to impeach state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg over his involvement in a 2020 crash that killed a pedestrian. The House voted 36-31 in favor of an impeachment resolution, sending the matter to the state Senate, which will hold a trial.
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"Today, the House of Representatives did the right thing for the people of South Dakota and for Joe Boever's family," Gov. Kristi Noem, wrote on Twitter, mentioning the victim by name.
On Sept. 12, Ravnsborg drove his car onto the north shoulder of Highway 14, striking Boever, 55, who was walking along the side of the road with a flashlight in his hand, police said.
Ravnsborg called 911 moments after he struck Boever andt said he didn't know what he had hit, but he returned to the scene the next morning and said he found Boever's body.
An investigation in November found that Ravnsborg was "distracted" at the time of the crash, but Beadle County State's Attorney Michael Moore said he was not a distracted driver at the time of impact.
Ravnsborg last August pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges in exchange for no jail time associated with the crash.
He also was ordered to pay $500 each for one count of operating a motor vehicle while using a mobile electronic device and one count of misdemeanor lane driving, as well as $3,000 in court fees.
In a letter to lawmakers before the vote, Ravnsborg accused Noem of interfering in the investigation for political gain, and said that impeaching him would set a precedent that other government officials could be impeached for minor driving offenses. "
"Setting such a low precedent will affect many members of the Legislature who have been convicted of Class 2 and Class 1 misdemeanors," he wrote.
"If this is the case, when will their impeachment or expulsion proceedings begin if that is the new standard? Who might be next to withstand impeachment whether based on the merits of a case or gubernatorial fiat?"
