South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers make case that Jason Ravnsborg's traffic crimes killed Joe Boever

PIERRE — South Dakota Highway Patrolmen who led an investigation into Jason Ravnsborg's fatal crash in 2020 told lawmakers Wednesday the attorney general "beyond the reason of a doubt" drove outside his lane of traffic while distracted.

And that has members of the South Dakota House of Representatives, who next week will decide whether the 45-year-old Republican should be impeached, doubting the findings of a recently-released 22-page report that says he shouldn't.

"All the evidence we had 14 months ago when I brought the first Articles of Impeachment have only been confirmed by the evidence we've seen," said Rep. Will Mortenson, R-Pierre. "The attorney general ran out off the road and because of his crimes, he caused the death of Mr. Boever."

His remarks followed a two-hour briefing with state troopers where about three dozen lawmakers got a final look at evidence stemming from the Sept. 12, 2020, crash that killed 55-year-old Joe Boever.

Troopers: Ravnsborg was distracted when vehicle left roadway

Ravnsborg has maintained since then that he did not know he struck a person until the following morning while contending he was in the lane of travel when impact happened. But based on the totality of evidence, Trooper John Berndt and Sgt. Kevin Kinney told those in attendance Wednesday, both online and in person, the only conclusion to be made is that Ravnsborg wasn't watching the road when his vehicle left the roadway. They also noted that cellphone forensics show Ravnsborg walked by Boever's body before leaving the crash scene without alerting authorities.

And when he returned to the crash scene the following morning, he stopped within 25 feet of where the body had sat in the grass two feet off the shoulder overnight, they said.

"Attorney General Ravnsborg walked past Mr. Boever's naked body twice with a light on as he searched for what he struck," said Berndt, who, along with Kinney, used a slide show presentation to walk through their findings. Investigators determined Boever's clothes had been mostly ripped off in the crash.

More:Jason Ravnsborg had 2 close calls with police before crash

That the same presentation was never shared with the House Select Committee on Investigation, which last week finished a five-month-long probe into Ravnsborg that concluded last week with a recommendation that Ravnsborg not be impeached, is also causing concern.

When asked why, Kinney said only that the committee did not allow the presentation to be made.

Rep. Dean Wink, R-Howes, told the Argus Leader following the meeting that he found that "very peculiar" while Rep. Tim Goodwin, R-Rapid City, said that revelation does not instill confidence in the House Select Committee on Investigation's recommendation.

House Speaker Spencer Gosch, the Glenham Republican who chaired the committee, responded by noting that testimony from multiple law enforcement officers involved in the crash investigation was heard by the committee, including Kinney and Berndt.

And ultimately, the committee desired taking testimony in a question-and-answer form, not a presentation, he said. 

"We had the documents in hand, we can read and we felt that we didn't need a sales pitch," said Gosch, who on multiple occasions has accused Gov. Kristi Noem of "meddling" in the impeachment process. "The real question is why did they feel the need to put on a presentation if not to influence bias?"

Ravnsborg in August 2021 was convicted of two traffic violations stemming from the crash, none of which amounted to criminal culpability for Boever's death.

Impeachment proceedings began Nov. 9. They're expected to conclude in the South Dakota House of Representatives when the chamber convenes at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Should at least 36 of the 70 members vote to impeach, a trial will be held in the Senate no sooner than May 2.