South Dakota Attorney General left the scene of the fatal accident.

[RandySF]

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg in a statement released late Monday night said he thought he hit a deer when he struck and killed a man on Saturday night and that he discovered the body when he returned to the scene the next day.

Ravnsborg struck and killed Joe Boever, 55, on the side of Highway 14 around 10:30 p.m. Saturday west of Highmore.

Ravnsborg said he released the two-page statement to dispel the "many rumors and stories being told which do not represent a full and factual account of what happened."

Ravnsborg said that he drove home from the Spink County Lincoln Day Dinner in Redfield around 9:15 p.m. Saturday. He did not drink any alcohol before, during or after the event, and that on his way back to Pierre he hit what he believed to be a deer.

"I didn't see what I hit and stopped my vehicle immediately to investigate," the release states. Ravnsborg was driving alone and was uninjured.




https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2020/09/14/south-dakota-attorney-general-jason-ravnsborg-fatal-crash-statement/5800770002/

[beachbumbob]

1. lets see how law and order repuvblicans in SD handle their criminal as this all falls into felony

territory and real prison time

[unblock]

3. Not if the story in the article holds up

Certainly sounds like he might be chummy with the sheriff, and possibly the sheriff is covering for him.

But if the sequence of events in the article is true, then no, and the headline is misleading.

At least according to the article, they looked around to find the deer but were unable to find either a deer or the person he actually hit, who was in a ditch in the dark.

[beachbumbob]

9. Having driven 100's of thousands of miles on roads, in the dark in the rural areas, its

inconceivable NOT know you hit a person walking along aside a road. This is all a story, and pure bullshit

[Doreen]

12. Unless the guy was bouncing across the road at the speed of a deer

I have no clue how he could not have seen him. Either he lied about looking afterwards or he just walked around his car and then left.

[Wellstone ruled]

13. So agree.

Same here,driven those Highways tens of thousands of miles at night. Pure Bull shit story. Yes,I have seen Walkers along the Hwy and Yes I have seen Deer ,Cows,Pigs,Dogs,sheep and Moose,tell you what,they sure do not look like a Human .

[unblock]

14. I've seen plenty of idiots walking in the dark with dark clothing, nothing reflective

And acting as if they couldn't care less if a momentarily distracted driving smashed them to bits.

Now. I certainly agree that it's entirely possible he's lying about something, but my guess is most likely he was on his phone or otherwise distracted. And possibly he did have some drinks. And possibly the sheriff is covering for him.

But it's not at all clear that he's guilty or of what, exactly.

[beachbumbob]

18. WHEN your drive country roads AT NIGHT you are 10x more aware of such things just becasue

of widelife like deer. Is pure spin and bullshit

[vlyons]

2. No excuse!

Even if he "thought" that he hit a deer, he still should have stopped and checked it out -- on the possibility that if might have been a person. At the very least, if it was a deer, then drag it safely to the shoulder of the road, so other drivers won't hit it.

BTW: I think he's lying. He left the scene because he panicked

[TheBlackAdder]

8. I wonder how many people he fried for doing the exact same thing.

.

He smashes up the front of his car and doesn't think to stop to look at the damage?

He doesn't stop to see if the deer is killed or injured so he can tag it and take it home?


=======

I hit a deer once and stopped, called the cops to have a police report for insurance. It was a minor impact because I braked and it just broke a headlight assembly, no other body damage. The deer ended up running off. I didn't even call the insurance company because the replacement part was less than $200.

.

[beachbumbob]

10. he was drinking and knew it would be an issue. His story is bullshit

[tblue37]

19. But by making sure the dead man was nt found for several hourse, he bought

himself time to get the alcohol out of his system before having to deal with the cops.

Imagine if the victim wasn't killed on impact but instead had to lie there alone in the dark, dying.

[beachbumbob]

21. the guy needs 10yrs in prison for manslaughter

- I 'll state why is story is bullshit again
- ANYONE who drives rural roads, especially at night are ALWAYS on alert for wild life. The key is rural road, nightime and presence of wildlife
- NO WAY to miss a person walking alongside or down the middle of the road if you are sober, not on a tight turn and NO FOG
- HE KNEW WHAT HE DID as he went back to the scene of the crime. He knew he be found out in a day or 2 otherwise

[blueinredohio]

4. If he stopped his vehicle right away I would think

a person hit by a car would still be laying there. I call bullshit.

[milestogo]

5. 5 seconds till they start talking about Ted Kennedy...

[getagrip_already]

6. oldest dui trick in the books.....

drunks don't stick around to be tested. they sleep it off and then say something like "I thought I hit a deer" or a construction cone - the next day...

Sure, you hit a deer and keep driving.. Me, I would pull over and check my car to make sure it was driveable. Besides, I don't often drive at high speed in the breakdown lane.

But then again, I'm not a state ag who has the backing of the entire leo community.

[tblue37]

20. He has a history of multiple speeding tickets, too. I am betting alcohol and excessive speed. nt

[TheBlackAdder]

7. Drinking NO. Impaired? Toxicology Tests are normally performed in vehicular deaths & serious crashes

[hatrack]

11. Bullshit - you think you hit a deer, you stop, you get out and check for damage . . .

Does the car still run? Tires OK? Hood sprung? Windshield cracked? Any coolant leaks?

Was it a deer? Fur in the grill? Is there a deer nearby, dead, hurt, or still moving?

Or did you maybe hit something else? Is it nearby?

This doesn't even begin to pass the smell test.

[greenjar_01]

15. Wait, HE then went back and found the body? HE FOUND the BODY?

Come on.

COME ON.

COME ON!

COME ON!!!!

[ScratchCat]

16. The story is so obviously BS

That it is an insult to the intelligence of anyone reading it. Most every element is clearly fabricated.

I guess he was lucky the Sheriff decided to come out and investigate a "suspected deer collision" at 9:30 at night. I'm sure every department in the country sends out the head honcho for such a call. Then he loans the DA his car, and I guess just walks back to the station. Great guy!

Then the DA - not the police - goes back by in the morning and - POOF! there's the dead guy in the ditch.

Like the poster above said - COME ON!

[greenjar_01]

17. Don't forget, he had the presence of mind to *bring a witness back* with him to find the body

"Hey, Chief of Staff, old buddy. I'm going to head back out there to retrieve my vehicle and look around a bit more for that maybe deer I hit, or whatever. Care to give me a ride?"

"Sure, Boss."

"Hey, what's that in the ditch right there?"

"Oh my..."

[MineralMan]

22. They all say, "I thought it was a deer" after they kill someone

and then drive away after "investigating." They think that will get them off somehow, because they "thought it was a deer."

How do you not see your car hitting a human being? Only if you are not watching the road as you drive.

Vehicular homicide is the minimum charge he should face.