Just a few months after being charged in relation to the hit-and-run death of a man, South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg is being promoted by the U.S. Army Reserves.
Ravnsborg announced on his social media account Thursday that he was being promoted to a full colonel position in the Reserves.
“It is quite an honor and I have been proud to serve our great nation for over 24 years!” Ravnsborg wrote. “Through 3 deployments, Battalion Command and 4 company commands serving with so many other great Americans! HOOAH!”
Ravnsborg was elected South Dakota AG in 2018.
In September, he was involved with a hit-and-run collision that resulted in the death of Joseph Boever.
Authorities said Boever was walking along the shoulder of U.S. Highway 14 west of Highmore when Ravnsborg’s vehicle veered onto the shoulder and struck Boever.
Ravnsborg has been charged with three misdemeanor offenses related to the collision: operating a vehicle while using a mobile electronic device, illegal lane change and careless driving. Each carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and fines of $500 each.
In a 911 call made by Ravnsborg the night of the incident, the dispatcher asked him if he might have struck a deer and he responded that he did not know, later adding that it could have been a deer and that it was right in the roadway.
The Hyde County Sheriff arrived on scene to assess the damage to the AG’s vehicle and look for the deer.
Neither the sheriff nor Ravnsborg saw Boever’s body in the ditch, even though Ravnsborg used his cell phone flashlight to search the area.
Ravnsborg borrowed the sheriff’s personal vehicle to drive back to Pierre that night.
He returned to the scene of the crash the following morning on his way to return the sheriff’s vehicle. He and an employee stopped to look for the animal again, but instead found Boever’s body nearby.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem called on Ravnsborg to resign, but he refused. Impeachment proceedings began in late February, but have been put on hold.
