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South Dakota's attorney general charged in fatal crash

Jason Ravnsborg
Posted at 1:22 PM, Feb 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-19 07:36:24-05

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota's attorney general has been charged with three misdemeanors including careless driving after he struck and killed a man with his car.

Jason Ravnsborg was charged Thursday.

According to The Associated Press, Ravnsborg also faces misdemeanor charges of operating a motor vehicle while using a mobile electronic device and veering out of his lane.

If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to a year in county jail, The AP reported.

Ravnsborg initially told authorities he thought he had struck a deer while driving home from a Republican fundraiser on Sept. 12.

According to the DPS, the accident happened one mile west of Highmore, South Dakota at 10:30 p.m. CT.

Ravnsborg has said he didn't know he struck a man until he returned to the scene and found the body the next day.

DPS said Ravnsborg was not injured in the accident.

The man's relatives have questioned Ravnsborg's account.

According to The AP, the man who died was 55-year-old Joseph Boever.

A toxicology report taken roughly 15 hours after the collision found no alcohol in his system.