South Dakota's AG reported hitting a deer Saturday night... but actually hit & killed a man!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why hasn't he been fired yet?

The SD AG is an elected official. There is no one who has the power and authority to fire him. Additionally, SD does not have a recall option. So, essentially he can resign or not. If he does not choose to resign, there is no way to remove him from office before the next election (Nov 2022).

[Anonymous]

AG: "Uh, I think I hit a deer?"

Real cops: "How do you explain the head-shaped hole in your windshield and the victim's glasses inside your car?"

AG:

[Anonymous]

Here's the "ditch" and the "grass" where they magically could not find the body that night:
https://goo.gl/maps/8GfUrVRCqaAgZm9e9

What do you think? Google Street View is incredible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

AG: "Uh, I think I hit a deer?"

Real cops: "How do you explain the head-shaped hole in your windshield and the victim's glasses inside your car?"

AG:

How did they capture this photo? HE DROVE THIS DAMAGED CAR THE NEXT DAY (BACK TO THE SCENE)????????

[Anonymous]

How far can a body 'fly' after being struck by a car at high speed on the edge of the road? As in, is the theory the body 'flew' into the grass -- or was it dragged there?

[Anonymous]

Can someone explain that photo? Was the car towed back to the scene for accident reconstruction and evidence photos?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

AG: "Uh, I think I hit a deer?"

Real cops: "How do you explain the head-shaped hole in your windshield and the victim's glasses inside your car?"

AG:

How did they capture this photo? HE DROVE THIS DAMAGED CAR THE NEXT DAY (BACK TO THE SCENE)????????

No, this is the next morning. The police took this photo.

Hyde County Sheriff Volek arrived in the middle of the night and gave the AG his personal vehicle. AG drove back to Pierre.
The AG then drove Sheriff Volek's car back the next day. Before dropping it off, he decided to stop by the crash site and then found "the body in the grass on the other side of the ditch."

Here's the AG's BS statement on the fact pattern: https://www.newscenter1.tv/content/uploads/2020/09/stmt.pdf

[Anonymous]

How has he not been arrested?

[Anonymous]

South Dakota’s Republican attorney general was charged Thursday with three misdemeanors for striking and killing a man with his car last summer, avoiding more serious felony charges in a case that raised questions about how the state’s top law enforcement official first reported the crash.

Jason Ravnsborg could face up to 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine on each charge: careless driving, driving out of his lane and operating a motor vehicle while on his phone.

Ravensborg said he was grateful that the legal system assumes his innocence — for now — while relatives of the man killed in the collision, 55-year-old Joseph Boever, said they were disappointed but not surprised that the attorney general was only facing misdemeanor charges.

Hyde County Deputy State’s Attorney Emily Sovell said the evidence simply didn’t support felony charges of vehicular homicide or manslaughter, which could have meant years of prison time. She noted Ravnsborg wasn’t intoxicated, and that a manslaughter charge would have required the state to show he “consciously and unjustifiably” disregarded a substantial risk.

“At best, his conduct was negligent, which is insufficient to bring criminal charges in South Dakota,” Beadle County State’s Attorney Michael Moore, who helped handle the case, said.

https://apnews.com/article/jason-ravnsborg-charged-3-misdemanors-192acb129ad9cf2c901f9d26a2ba7e11

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How has he not been arrested?

Because he didn't "run" - the Sheriff arrived, took a report, and cleared him.

And, under SD law, "vehicular manslaughter" only applies when the driver is impaired. He had no field sobriety test.

It seems like this is a case of distracted driving. The evidence shows that the AG was on his phone looking at websites and emails while driving, as soon as one minute before the impact. There's no felony statute for distracted driving in SD.
Further, the AG continued driving for 1m15s after the impact. So he stopped his car some distance away and he was probably having the Sheriff (purposely?) look in the wrong spot.

Basically, the AG knew what to do to ensure he was not violating the law.

[Anonymous]

Man, he has really crossed his T's and dotted his I's, hasn't he? If he wasn't drinking or speeding, and didn't leave the scene of the accident until law enforcement gave permission, it doesn't even meet the criteria for involuntary manslaughter.

[Anonymous]

hopefully, the charges will be upgraded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:hopefully, the charges will be upgraded.

What's going to happen is that the victim's family is going to file a big civil suit against the AG. And some GOP donor will quietly pay a big settlement to the family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How has he not been arrested?

Because he didn't "run" - the Sheriff arrived, took a report, and cleared him.

And, under SD law, "vehicular manslaughter" only applies when the driver is impaired. He had no field sobriety test.

It seems like this is a case of distracted driving. The evidence shows that the AG was on his phone looking at websites and emails while driving, as soon as one minute before the impact. There's no felony statute for distracted driving in SD.
Further, the AG continued driving for 1m15s after the impact. So he stopped his car some distance away and he was probably having the Sheriff (purposely?) look in the wrong spot.

Basically, the AG knew what to do to ensure he was not violating the law.

Obstruction of justice is also a crime n South Dakota.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Man, he has really crossed his T's and dotted his I's, hasn't he? If he wasn't drinking or speeding, and didn't leave the scene of the accident until law enforcement gave permission, it doesn't even meet the criteria for involuntary manslaughter.

No one is saying that he meant to hit the other man. And accidents happen.

Was he driving drunk? We'll never know. Apparently driving while texting/web surfing isn't that bad in South Dakota, although in other places it might be.

What's the worst part of the incident is the way he has lied and evaded taking responsibility. He has acted like someone covering up wrongdoing. Here, the coverup is worse than the crime.