South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg Will Take Plea Deal in Fatal Crash
South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will not have to stand trial for killing a man who was walking along a highway in September of 2020.
Dakota News Now and the Associated Press are reporting that Ravnsborg will accept a plea deal on misdemeanor traffic charges, according to Beadle County State’s Attorney Michael Moore, who is one of two prosecutors on the case.
Moore says a judge’s order that bars state officials from discussing details of the investigation prevented him from disclosing further details.
After the September 12, 2020 incident near Highmore, Ravnsborg told authorities he thought he had struck a deer or another large animal while he was driving home to Pierre from a Republican fundraiser. It wasn't until the next day that the body of 55-year-old Joseph Boever was discovered on the side of the highway where the accident occurred.
Ravnsborg was facing charges on three misdemeanors - operating a vehicle while using a mobile electronic device, illegal lane change, and careless driving. Each carried sentences of up to 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine.
Boever's widow says she plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Ravnsborg.
The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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