Yesterday, we noted Ravnsborg case charging decision expected to be announced Thursday.
A digest of news reports about the slap on Jason Ravnsborg's wrist.
Reporting for the Rapid City Journal, Arielle Zionts reports in South Dakota Attorney General charged with three misdemeanors after fatal crash:
The South Dakota Attorney General was charged Thursday with three misdemeanors after he hit and killed a pedestrian with his car more than five months ago.
Jason Ravnsborg is charged with unsafely driving outside a lane and careless driving related to hitting Joe Boever in the shoulder of the road, said Emily Sovell, Hyde County deputy state's attorney. He's also charged with using his phone while driving before the crash occurred.
Ravnsborg does not plan to resign, his personal spokesman Mike Deaver told the Journal. . . .
All three charges are Class 2 misdemeanors, each punishable by up to 30 days in jail. Ravnsborg will be issued a summons to appear in Hyde County Court, Sovell said. . . .
"We know from the phone records that Ravnsborg walked the area of the accident. He actually walked by where Mr. Boever was and he was using his flashlight on his phone at the time," Moore said. "The Hyde County sheriff also walked the area."
Investigators don't know why Ravnsborg didn't see Boever walking or on the side of the road, Sovell said. She said there's no evidence that Boever's body was moved. . . .
Investigators were unable to determine when Ravnsborg veered onto the shoulder, why he did so and if he even was aware he had left the lane, Moore said. Prosecutors would need such evidence to prove "Ravnsborg was aware of the dangerous nature of his conduct (but) no such evidence exists.
Unlike many other states, South Dakota does not have a negligent homicide law, Moore noted. . . .
Read the rest at the Journal. Zionts also reports Victim's widow plans to file wrongful death lawsuit against attorney general:
A widow is planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the South Dakota attorney general for fatally hitting her late husband with his car last September.
"The family deserves the truth from the attorney general and the attorney general needs to be held responsible for his driving that night," said Gregory Eiesland, one of Jenny Boever's lawyers.
Joe Boever, a 55-year-old from Highmore, died Sept. 12, 2020, after Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg veered into the shoulder, according to law enforcement. Boever was walking with a flashlight, likely to reach the car he crashed earlier in the day or to head back home after retrieving something from his car, his cousin said.
Ravnsborg, a 44-year-old from Pierre, was charged Thursday with unsafely driving outside a lane and careless driving in relation to the crash. He's also charged with being on his phone while driving before the crash.
All three charges are Class 2 misdemeanors, each punishable by up to 30 days in jail. Ravnsborg will be issued a summons to appear in Hyde County Court, said prosecutor Emily Sovell.
Experts told South Dakota News Watch that state laws, which favor drivers over pedestrians, would make it difficult to criminally charge Ravnsborg or successfully sue him in a civil lawsuit.
However, Jenny still plans to file the lawsuit accusing Ravnsborg of negligently causing her husband's death. . . .
There's more at the Journal.
At the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Joe Sneve reports in AG Jason Ravnsborg charged with three misdemeanors in crash that killed Highmore man:
South Dakota's Attorney General will face misdemeanor traffic charges for his role in a crash that killed a Highmore man more than five months ago.
The Hyde County State's Attorney's Office announced Thursday during a news conference at the state Capitol that Jason Ravnsborg will face charges for operating a vehicle while using a mobile or electronic device, a lane driving violation for driving outside of his lane and careless driving.
They carry a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and fines of $500 each. But they fall short of alleging Ravnsborg is criminally responsible for the fatality.
Hyde County Assistant State's Attorney Emily Sovell and Beadle County State's Attorney Michael Moore, who assisted in the case, told reporters the state couldn't bring manslaughter or vehicular homicide charges against Ravnsborg because the provable facts in the case don't merit those charges.
And Ravnsborg wasn't under the influence of alcohol or other chemical substances at the time of the crash, they said.
"Recklessness is an extremely high burden for us to establish and in this case we don't have it," Moore said. "I don't feel good about it but it's the right decision." . . .
These charges do not allege that Ravnsborg is "criminally responsible" for the death of Boever, and that's not sitting well with his family. Moore said they were informed of the charges in the complaint filed as a result of crash earlier Thursday.
And his cousins who were with him earlier in the day say justice is not being served.
"Just the fact that he was way the hell over on the shoulder means something reckless was going on," Victor Nemec said. . . .
Read the rest at the Argus Leader.
KELOLAND's Perry Groten extends the story in Boever’s family frustrated by charges against Ravnsborg:
Joe Boever’s family is expressing disappointment over the prosecutors’ decision not to file more serious charges against Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg in connection with Boever’s death. One of Boever’s cousins was at the capitol in Pierre Thursday as investigators presented their findings.
Nick Nemec, Joe Boever’s cousin, says he’s frustrated, but not surprised that Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg is facing only misdemeanors in Boever’s death.
“I’ve been saying for months that I was afraid the charge would be something on the order of crossing the white line and that’s exactly what the charge was,” Nemec said.
Nemec hopes prosecutors will release more details about the crash scene as the case against Ravnsborg moves forward.
“I’m convinced Jason Ravnsborg saw Joe Boever before he hit him. It might have been just an instant before he hit him, but I’m convinced he saw him because of the skid marks in relationship to where the point of impact was,” Nemec said.
Prosecutors said the facts of their investigation didn’t meet standards for filing felony charges against Ravnsborg. But Nemec believes South Dakota law is too lax when it comes to car-pedestrian crashes.
“According to state law, if nobody sees you and you see a pedestrian and you’re not drunk, you can run over him and get away with a misdemeanor charge,” Nemec said.
Nemec says he hopes Ravnsborg is found guilty on all three misdemeanors and receives a maximum sentence of 90 days. . . .
There's also Democratic Party calls for Ravnsborg resignation:
The Democratic Party of South Dakota is calling on Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg to resign following Thursday’s announcement of charges. . . .
In a statment released to KELOLAND News, the Democratic Party said that the charges were not holding Ravnsborg accountable and that “[Ravnsborg] cannot serve as the Chief Prosecutor, Chief Law Enforcement Officer, and South Dakota’s lawyer when your careless and negligent conduct caused the death of another person.”
The Democratic Party went on to say that Ravnsborg must accept responsibility for his actions by resigning.
At the Capital Journal, Abby Wargo reports Attorney General hit with three misdemeanors in fatal crash:
South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has been charged with three misdemeanors after hitting and killing a man with his car outside of Highmore on Sept. 12.
Thursday's announcement by Hyde County State’s Attorney Emily Sovell ended months of speculation that Ravnsborg could face more serious charges in the death of 55-year-old Joseph Boever, but it didn't answer all the questions.
Ravnsborg faces one count of operating a motor vehicle while using an electronic device; one count of failing to drive vehicle in a single lane; and one count of careless driving. Sovell said Ravnsborg was not using an electronic device at the time of the incident but had been on a cell phone earlier. . . .
At best, his conduct was negligent, which is insufficient to bring criminal charges in South Dakota. As I mentioned, this is a tragic accident which took the life of Mr. Boever way too soon. The victim’s remedy is in civil court, not criminal court," he said.
There are still blanks in the narrative that could align with a more serious charge, but with the facts attorneys have, they cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ravnsborg’s conduct was reckless.
“There’s nowhere else to go," Moore said. "When we don’t have a negligent homicide law in the state, we’re faced with recklessness. And recklessness...is an extremely high burden for us to establish. In this case, we don’t have it. I don’t feel good about it, but it’s the right decision." . ..
For the Forum News Service, Christopher Vondracek and Jeremy Fugelberg report in South Dakota's attorney general charged in crash that killed pedestrian:
. . . The prosecutors disclosed new evidence about the night of the collision Sept. 12, some that partially confirmed statements made earlier by Ravnsborg.
The attorney general was returning to Pierre from a Saturday night Republican fundraiser at Roosters Bar & Grill in Redfield. Ravnsborg drove his red 2011 Ford Taurus onto north shoulder of Highway 14 where he struck Boever, who was carrying a light, investigators said in an accident report released Nov. 2.
Cellphone data also confirmed that, 15 seconds after striking Boever, Ravnsborg stopped his vehicle. After another 14 seconds, he unlocked his phone, and then another 16 seconds passed before he phoned 911.
At some point, said Moore, Ravnsborg did exit the vehicle and walk directly past Boever's body in the grassy ditch. As to why the attorney general didn't see the dead man's body at his feet, the prosecutors had no answers Thursday. . . .
At Dakota Free Press, Cory Allen Heidelberger cuts to the chase in Ravnsborg Kills Man, Gets Misdemeanor Charges for Phoning and Swerving:
Five months ago, Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg killed Joe Boever. Two months ago, killer Ravnsborg shrugged and said, “I believe I have not committed any crime.”
Ravnsborg was wrong, but in eyes of his friends in South Dakota law enforcement, only slightly. Ravnsborg’s USD Law School classmate and Hyde County deputy state’s attorney Emily Sovell today announced she’s charging Ravnsborg with three crimes… not one of which is based on the fact that he killed a man . . .
Here's video of the press conference via the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:
Photo: Jason Ravnsborg's damaged vehicle after it crashed and killed a man walking on the north shoulder of U.S. Highway 14 just west of Highmore. Source: South Dakota Department of Public Safety.
Related posts:
- Twitter memorials: 5 months ago, South Dakota Attorney General Ravnsborg killed Joe Boever
- Daily Beast: Ravnsborg killed a man. Family members fear Joe Boever has been forgotten
- Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Noem supports using grand jury to speed up Ravnsborg killing probe
- States attorneys looking into killing of Joseph Boever by AG Ravnsborg not talking to Noem
- Rapid City Journal: After 4 months, still no decision on whether AG Ravnsborg will be charged for killing Joseph Boever
- AP: Prosecutors waiting on debris testing in SD Attorney General killing of Joseph Boever
- Governor Kristi Noem takes off her positive pants, given pace of Ravnsborg investigation
- Well, that's illuminating: South Dakota Highway Patrol’s accident report on Boever killing
- South Dakota News Watch: Crash experts question Ravnsborg’s car-deer explanation
- SD News Watch: State's criminal & civil traffic laws favor drivers over pedestrians in collisions
- UPDATED: Joe Boever's tragic death on Hwy 14: news digest about Ravnsborg's fatal accident
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