South Dakota House votes to impeach AG Ravnsborg for fatal crash

The South Dakota House voted Tuesday to remove state attorney general Jason Ravnsborg for his involvement in a fatal 2020 crash that has prompted state lawmakers to seek the removal of a fellow Republican from office.

In a 36 -- 31 vote, Ravnsborg was charged with committing crimes or misdemeanors in office that caused the death of a pedestrian. He was charged with committing actions that did not meet the standard of the Office of the Attorney General after the collision, including during its reporting and resulting investigation.

As a result of the vote, Ravnsborg was suspended from his official duties ahead of a Senate trial which could lead to his permanent removal from office if a two-thirds majority votes to convict him.

The House held its vote despite a GOP-controlled House committee finding that Ravnsborg's actions did not warrant an immediate impeachment.

The Republican state Rep. Will Mortenson, who filed the two articles of impeachment, said Tuesday's vote would create a precedent.

Never before in our state's history has it been that a state official criminally ended the life of one of our citizens and refused to resign from that position, Mortenson said on the House floor Tuesday. I believe impeachment should only be reserved for grave and exceptional circumstances, and I believe this is one. Mortenson said our top law enforcement officer misled law enforcement during the investigation of those crimes.

In a statement after the vote, Ravnsborg said I respect the process but I look forward to the Senate trial where I believe I will be vindicated. Ravnsborg had pleaded no contest to a pair of traffic misdemeanors linked to the incident, which he first reported as a collision with an animal. He said he didn't realize that he had hit a person until the next day when he returned to the scene and found the body of pedestrian Joseph Boever, 55.

A judge fined the attorney general $500 for each misdemeanor, but Ravnsborg was not ordered to serve jail time.

Kristi Noem called on state lawmakers to impeach Ravnsborg, repeating her calls for the attorney general to be removed from office.

After Tuesday's vote, Noem applauded the House for impeaching Ravnsborg.

The House of Representatives did the right thing for the people of South Dakota and Joe Boever's family today, Noem wrote on Twitter.