South Dakota Senate removes attorney general over deadly 2020 crash

June 22 (UPI) -- The South Dakota Senate convicted Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg on two articles of impeachment in connection to having struck a pedestrian with his car in September 2020.

The lawmakers on Tuesday evening voted 24-9 on one article for killing Joseph Boever and 31-2 on another concerning the abuse of his office, removing him from office and making him the first person to be impeached in the state.

The Senate trial was held after the state House voted 36-31 in favor of impeachment.

"After nearly two years the dark cloud over the attorney general's office has been lifted," Republican Gov. Kristi Noem tweeted Tuesday night. "It is now time to move on and begin to restore confidence in the office."

Ravnsborg killed Boever, 55, on Sept. 12, 2020, when he drove his vehicle onto the shoulder of Highway 14. Boever was walking alongside the road with a flashlight in his hand.

The attorney general had called 911 and said he believed he'd hit a deer. The next day, Ravnsborg returned to the scene to discover Boever's body.

During the investigation, police determined that the attorney general was distracted at the time of the accident.

Ravnsborg, 46, originally said he wasn't distracted but later admitted to being on his phone when the accident occurred. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges and paid a fine last summer in exchange for no jail time.

During the trial Tuesday, prosecutors argued that Ravnsborg was driving as part of his duties and had carried out improper interactions with South Dakota law enforcement by asking them what information investigators had on him.

While Ravnsborg did not testify, his defense attempted to convince lawmakers that his actions didn't warrant removal from office. His attorneys argued that the inaccuracies in his description of events to law enforcement were simply human error.

"Being mistaken is human," attorney Mike Butler said, "And although Attorney General Ravnsborg was elected attorney general, he did not leave the human race and become perfect. And he is still not perfect. But what he did here, each and every step along the way, was to provide legal cooperation."

Members of Boever's family were present at trial. Cousin Nick Nemec said it was important for the Senate to convict Ravnsborg.

"Had he remained in office, the people of South Dakota would have lost faith in their government," he said.