South Dakota House Launches Impeachment Probe of Attorney General 1 Year After Fatal Crash

South Dakota's Republican-dominated House started an impeachment investigation Tuesday against the state's attorney general who killed a pedestrian in a car crash last year.

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, a Republican, struck and killed 55-year-old Joseph Boever with his car Sept. 12, 2020. Ravnsborg said he did not realize he killed a man until he returned to the scene and discovered the body the next day. Ravnsborg pleaded no contest to a pair of misdemeanors from the crash.

House lawmakers have said they want to know if Ravnsborg could be impeached for the misdemeanors, the fact that he killed a man, or that law enforcement associations have said they no longer have confidence in Ravnsborg's office.

According to the state constitution, officials such as the attorney general can be impeached for "corrupt conduct, malfeasance or misdemeanor in office."

If Ravnsborg is impeached, he will be the first state official to be impeached in South Dakota.

An investigation committee has been formed from a mix of Ravnsborg's political allies and those who have called for his impeachment, made up of seven Republicans and two Democrats. The committee has not scheduled its first meeting and the investigation could take weeks.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

"Our first meeting is literally to sit down, go through the constitution, go through case law, to get an idea," House Speaker Spencer Gosch, a Republican, said.

Governor Kristi Noem, who has called for Ravnsborg to resign, has delivered a hard drive containing the crash investigation to Gosch, who said the committee would subpoena the investigation from the Department of Public Safety "just to ensure accuracy."

Ravnsborg's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the House's move.

Republican Representative Will Mortenson, who first called for Ravnsborg's impeachment in February, pushed to allow public access to the material the committee reviews. The House agreed to make the information public, with the exception of redacted confidential and "non-relevant information."

"This is unprecedented in state history, which means we need to be thoughtful," Mortenson said. "And keep in mind the public, the family of any victims here and the subject of impeachment, as well."