The Daily Beast
Victim that South Dakota AG ‘didn’t see’ went through its windshield, investigators say
Andrew Harrer / GettySIOUX FALLS, South Dakota – South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has said since his fatal crash last fall that he did not see what he had hit, but a newly released video of his police interview revealed that the victim’s face literally “came through” his windshield. In videos released on Tuesday by the South Dakota Department of Public Security, investigators can be seen defying Ravnsborg’s claim that he didn’t see what he hit during the accident on September 12, 2020. Ravnsborg was returning from a Republican Party event that night when he hit and killed 55-year-old Joe Boever. Boever’s body was not found until a day later, however, after Ravnsborg initially called 911 to report only that he hit “something” that he thought might be a deer. During an interrogation on September 30, investigators noted that Boever’s glasses were found inside the 2011 Ford Taurus in Ravnsborg. “It means that his face appeared on his windshield,” said an agent from the North Dakota Bureau of Investigation, one of two who questioned Ravnsborg for more than three hours in two sessions. “His face is on your windshield,” said the agent as Ravnsborg moaned. “Think about it.” Ravnsborg said he didn’t see the glasses either, even when he later went through the front seat looking for an insurance card to show Hyde County Sheriff Mike Volek, who lives near the crash site and answered the phone call. 911. The agent said the broken glass found inside Ravnsborg’s car belonged to Boever, who was walking to Highmore when he was hit and killed. Ravnsborg was also asked why he didn’t see a flashlight Boever was carrying when the accident occurred at 10:24 pm When agents arrived from North Dakota, he was still on, shining “like a beacon,” they said. The agents also told Ravnsborg that they knew he was on the shoulder when the accident occurred. He had no explanation for the reason for his presence. Investigators also noted that he made calls and consulted websites while driving from the Republican Party event in Redfield to Pierre, the state capital. Ravnsborg clicked on a Real Clear Politics story about Joe Biden and China just before the crash. He told investigators that he had hung up the phone before the impact. “I don’t think I did anything wrong,” said Ravnsborg. “I didn’t see him or anything. I didn’t know I was a man until the next day. The videos were part of a collection of information released on Tuesday, more than five months after the accident. South Dakota Attorney General Accused of Fatal Car Accident The Republican official, the last accused week with three misdemeanors – driving carelessly, not staying on the road and talking on his cell phone while driving, although before the accident – was asked to resign by the governor Kristi Noem, and impeachment articles were introduced in the legislature. So far, Ravnsborg – pronounced “Rounds-berg” – said he would not resign. “The Attorney General has no intention of resigning. At no time did this problem hinder his ability to do the office’s work, ”said a statement released Tuesday by his private spokesman. “Instead, he dealt with some of the biggest settlements and legislative issues the state has ever faced.” “As a lawyer and lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, AG Ravnsborg fought for the rule of law and personal freedoms and would hope that he has the same right and courtesy.” Noem, a first-term Republican, said it was time for Ravnsborg to go. “Now that the investigation has ended and the charges have been brought, I believe the attorney general should step down,” she said in a statement. “I have reviewed the material we are releasing, starting today, and I encourage others to review it as well.” Lawmakers on both sides are calling for his impeachment or resignation. State Representative Will Mortenson (R-Sioux Falls), filed for impeachment articles on Tuesday afternoon, with House Majority Leader Kent Peterson (R-Salem) and minority leader Jamie Smith (D-Sioux Falls) ) offering support. There were two articles of impeachment, one for the fatal accident, the other for Ravnsborg’s statements and actions in reporting the accident and during the investigation. “After the collision, including during his report of the collision and the resulting investigation, Jason Ravnsborg took actions that harmed the Attorney General,” says article two. “Jason Ravnsborg’s statements and actions did not meet the standard of the Attorney General’s Office.” Boever’s cousin, Nick Nemec, who served as the family’s spokesman, said he was “horrified” by these revelations. “It seems to me like a hit and run case, even though I called a police officer,” Nemec told The Daily Beast. “The policeman was incompetent or in collusion, I don’t know which one.” Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top news in your inbox every day. Subscribe now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper into the stories that matter to you. To know more.