Gov. Noem expresses frustration over lengthy investigation into AG fatal crash

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - It’s been more than 100 days, and the investigation into a crash that killed a Highmore man involving South Dakota’s attorney general is still ongoing.

Typically, a crash investigation takes about a month in South Dakota. Out-of-state investigators and South Dakota Highway Patrol released information to the Hyde County State’s Attorney’s Office before Nov. 2.

The lengthy investigation has Gov. Kristi Noem frustrated with the wait.

“I share South Dakotans frustration about the amount of time this has taken,” Noem told Black Hills Fox News Wednesday. “To have more than 100 days go by without resolution on this is a disservice to the victim’s family.”

The Hyde County State’s Attorney’s Office is consulting state’s attorneys from Pennington, Minnehaha and Beadle counties to determine if any charges will be filed against AG Jason Ravnsborg.

While casting an Electoral College vote for the state, Ravnsborg spoke about how he continued his daily duties as Attorney General and felt confident he had “not committed any crime.”

“I believe that we will--when we have all the facts, not a selected amount of facts. We’ll know the full story, and we’ll make a full statement,” he told Black Hills Fox News.“I guess I would take great dispute that we are lying. I guess some things have come out that I do not believe accurate also, so we’ll just let the investigation run, and we’ll make a full statement when that has been completed,” Ravnsborg said.

Ravnsborg was driving a 2011 Ford Taurus westbound on U.S. Highway 14 a mile west of Highmore when he struck Joseph Boever, 55, of Highmore at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, according to a release from the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

The Attorney General called to dispatch the night of the accident, claiming he thought he hit a deer. Boever’s body was found in the ditch Sunday morning.

Later, it was revealed Ravnsborg was distractedly driving when he hit Boever on the shoulder of the road, according to the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s accident report.