Investigation launched after South Dakota AG claims he only discovered he had struck and killed a MAN and not a DEER while driving home when he returned to the scene the next day
South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg said he's cooperating with an investigation after he reported hitting a deer with his car on Saturday night but actually struck and killed a pedestrian whose body was not found until Sunday.
Ravnsborg, whose office said he had not been drinking before the crash and that he called 911, said he's providing a blood sample to investigators. He also said he agreed to allow a search of his cell phones and will submit to interviews with law enforcement agents.
The victim, who was identified as 55-year-old Joseph Boever, was not found until Sunday morning, reported Dakota News Now.
It took investigators nearly 22 hours to identify Boever's body with a family member, leaving family members frustrated and suspicious, his cousin Nick Nemec said.
'My worst fear is that they’re trying to get ducks in a row to absolve the attorney general of any wrongdoing,' Nemec told Keloland.
Ravnsborg is under investigation by the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg (left) is being investigated for a crash that killed Joseph Boever, 56 (right) on Saturday
Tire tracks are seen on the side of US Highway 14 near the area where Ranvsborg struck Boever
The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, which would normally be involved, is part of the attorney general's office. It is standard practice to request an outside agency to conduct an investigation when there may be a conflict of interest.
The Department of Public Safety said only that he told the Hyde County Sheriff's Office that he had hit a deer with his 2011 Ford Taurus and did not say whether he reported the crash in a 911 call.
Ravnsborg, 44, was driving from a Republican fundraiser in Redfield to his home some 110 miles away in Pierre on Saturday night when he was involved in the crash on US Highway 14, spokesman Tim Bormann said.
He had been at a fundraising dinner hosted by the Spink County Republicans at Rooster’s Bar & Grill. The attorney general is known to be a frequent attendee of the fundraisers known as Lincoln Day Dinners, hosted by county GOP groups across the state.
Bormann said the attorney general is known to have an occasional drink, but has made it a practice not to drink at the Lincoln Day events.
Boever (second right) is pictured next to his estranged wife and other family members in this undated Facebook photo
Boever's damaged pickup truck is seen in the middle of a field after he had crashed into a hay bale prior to his death
Nick Nemec said Boever had crashed his pickup truck into a bale of hay one mile west of US Highway 14 in Highmore on Saturday evening. He called Nemec's brother, Victor, who gave him a ride to his home located just a mile and a half from the scene of the crash.
Victor Nemec and Boever made plans to repair his damaged vehicle the following day, but the 56-year-old apparently decided to return to the truck alone later that night.
When Victor arrived at Boever's home in the morning and found the residence empty, he reported his cousin missing, reported the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Twelve hours later, Victor and Nick Nemec received a call asking him to come to a local funeral home to identify their cousin's body.
Ravensborg released a statement on Sunday night, addressing the fatal crash.
'I am shocked and filled with sorrow following the events of last night,' he said. 'As Governor Noem stated, I am fully cooperating with the investigation and I fully intend to continue do so moving forward. At this time I offer my deepest sympathy and condolences to the family.'
He released a second statement on Monday night detailing his account of the accident, saying it was necessary to dispel rumors.
Ravnsborg said at 'not time' did he or Hyde County Sheriff Mike Volek 'suspect that I had been in an accident with a person' in a statement he released Monday night
Ravnsborg said he was driving from a Republican fundraiser in Redfield to his home some 110 miles (177 kilometers) away when his vehicle hit something he believed to be a large animal. Ravnsborg said he called 911 and then looked around his vehicle in the dark, using a cell phone flashlight. He said that all he could see were pieces of his vehicle.
After Hyde County Sheriff Mike Volek arrived, the two men surveyed the damage and filled out paperwork for his car to be repaired.
“At no time did either of us suspect that I had been in an accident with a person,” Ravnsborg said.
With his car wrecked, Ravnsborg said he borrowed the sheriff’s personal car to return to his home in Pierre. The next morning, he and chief of staff Tim Bormann drove back to return the sheriff’s car.
They stopped at the spot of the accident, where Ravnsborg said he discovered Boever’s body in the grass just off the shoulder of the road. He said it was apparent Boever was dead.
Ravnsborg was driving back from a Republican fundraiser at the time of the accident
Ravnsborg said he drove to Volek’s house and reported the dead body. They both returned to the accident scene, where Volek said he would handle the investigation and asked Ravnborg to return to Pierre, according to Ravnsborg’s statement.
Spokesman Bormann said the attorney general drinks occasionally, but has made it a practice not to drink at the Lincoln Day events.
'I didn’t see him with anything but a Coke,' said state Sen. Brock Greenfield, who also attended the dinner.
Ravnsborg, who was elected to the post of attorney general in 2018, has received six traffic tickets for speeding in South Dakota over the last six years. He also received tickets for a seat belt violation and for driving a vehicle without a proper exhaust and muffler system.
Investigation launched after South Dakota AG claims he only discovered he had struck and killed a MAN and not a DEER while driving home when he returned to the scene the next day
![Investigation launched after South Dakota AG claims he only discovered he had struck and killed a MAN and not a DEER while driving home when he returned to the scene the next day]()
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September 15, 2020
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