Western South Dakota's Only Ranch Station

Outside investigators look at South Dakota AG’s fatal crash

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says her administration is bringing in outside investigators to look into how the state’s attorney general struck and killed a man with his car.

She did not give a timeline Tuesday on when information on the crash would be released.

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg struck and killed a man walking near a rural highway on Saturday night.

He says he initially believed he hit a deer and only realized that he hit a person after returning to the site the next day.

The state Highway Patrol is overseeing the investigation. But Noem’s administration has called in outside crash reconstruction experts and criminal investigators.

Secretary of Public Safety Craig Price says any information regarding the investigation, like the 911 phone call or transcript, body camera footage, or toxicology reports, “will be released at the appropriate time.” And the report will be released as soon as complete but no specific time frame was given.

Of the investigation so far, Secretary Price says interviews of Ravnsborg and other witnesses are being conducted by state employees from North and South Dakota. The Wyoming investigator will be handling a reconstruction of the crash. Boever’s medical examination took place in Minnesota. The location, Price says, is due to the unavailability of a pathologist in South Dakota.

Governor Noem says Ravnsborg has not been placed on administrative leave as the investigation is not currently classified as criminal and is still a traffic fatality crash investigation. When asked to comment on what his day-to-day duties currently look like, the Governor declined to answer.

Should the investigation turn criminal, the Hyde County State’s Attorney’s office would lead the filing of charges and any working relationship or campaign backing conflicts would be handled “as they come across them,” says Price.

People are also reading...

Weather

loader-image
Rapid City, US
10:27 pm, March 28, 2024
temperature icon 39°F
clear sky
Humidity 77 %
Pressure 1004 mb
Wind 7 mph
Wind Gust: 0 mph
Visibility: 0 km
Sunrise: 6:40 am
Sunset: 7:15 pm

Market News

Share via
Copy link