Last year at this time, the political conversation was dominated by Donald Trump, fascism, the pandemic and white supremacy. While the story of South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg got national headlines, it was also basically forgotten on a national level as the election drew closer. In September 2020, Ravnsborg killed a man. Ravnsborg was driving late at night and he hit a pedestrian named Joseph Boever on a dark, rural road. Not only that, Ravnsborg did not stop. He left Boever dying in a ditch for twelve hours. And then Ravnsborg used his political clout to influence the case against him, and oh by the way, Ravnsborg is MAGA and he was one of the lawyers trying to “stop the steal” post-election.
Ravnsborg ended up avoiding murder charges and manslaughter charges. His trial was set for this week but he ended up taking a very generous plea deal which had him pleading no-contest to two misdemeanor charges and paying a minor fine. Seriously.
A judge on Thursday ordered no jail time for South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg in a crash that killed a pedestrian last year, instead fining him $500 on each of two misdemeanor counts. Circuit Judge John Brown also ordered Ravnsborg to pay assorted court costs after the Republican entered no-contest pleas in the crash that killed Joseph Boever, 55, last September.
The judge also ordered Ravnsborg to “do a significant public service event” each year over the next five years near the date of Boever’s death, but he put that on hold after Ravnsborg’s attorney objected that it was not allowed by statute. Brown was to consider that argument and rule later.
Boever’s family members complained bitterly before Ravnsborg was sentenced that the law didn’t provide stiff enough punishment for the attorney general, whom they accused of arrogance ever since the crash that killed Boever. Ravnsborg didn’t attend the hearing, though he wasn’t required to do so.
“Why, after having to wait nearly a year, do we not have the chance to face him?” Boever’s sister, Jane Boever, told the court. She said her brother was “left behind carelessly” the night he died. And she accused Ravnsborg of running down her brother and then using his position and resources to string the case along. She said he has shown no remorse, and only “arrogance toward the law.” Jane Boever also said Judge John Brown’s options for punishing him on the misdemeanor charges were insufficient: “We do not feel a couple of fines is adequate punishment for killing a man. Our brother lay in the ditch for 12 hours. This is inexcusable.”
Joseph Boever’s widow, Jennifer Boever, said Ravnsborg’s “actions are incomprehensible and … cannot be forgiven.”
Ravnsborg’s attorney pushed back hard on the family’s criticism, calling the attorney general an “honorable man.” Rensch said Ravsnborg had been consistent from the beginning that he simply did not see Boever. And he noted that the case was “not a homicide case, and it’s not a manslaughter case,” as prosecutors had said in bringing the misdemeanor charges. “Accidents happen, people die. It should not happen. No one wants anybody to die,” he said.
It’s true that accidents happen, but the situation here is not like “welp, someone slipped and fell.” The state AG ran someone down and the man is dead. The AG used his position and the state’s old-boys-club legal community to avoid any kind of substantive penalty. It’s disgusting to me that Ravnsborg was able to get this kind of sweetheart deal and pay a minor fine for KILLING someone.
If you want to read more about the case and how it “upended South Dakota politics,” Vanity Fair has an excellent article with a lot of backstory here.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
let me know if anyone has been to North Dakota. The population is very few and they believe they can to whatever they want because they have been living isolation from the country.
The people are unsocialized and creepy…the people are soooo MAGA up there they nearly brainwashed a relative whoused to live up their because if military reasons…he nearly got sucked into the Maga crap….
I’m originally from southern Minnesota, right next door (I escaped at 31 because of the winters). I haven’t spent as much time in North Dakota (with the exception of Fargo, which is larger than most other towns up there and has some city elements) but I’ve spent some time in South Dakota and it is quite conservative. Their governor is a horrible MAGAt as well. It’s mostly white although has some prominent Native reservations. It’s a very homogenous place along all lines (race, religion, political/social views). It’s easy to turn people to the dark (alt-right) side up there.
It’s not a monolith of course…I know wonderful liberal/progressives in Sioux Falls. But overall it’s a conservative place.
I hadn’t heard this story and am reading the VF article. Horrific. I really hope the family can sue this monster.
This is sickening. Wonder what the DA has on the judge or are they just good friends?
The dead guy went through the windshield! His glasses were found *inside* the car! He was wearing a headlamp which stayed illuminated after the hit. Maga jerk told the cops he hit a deer. He was goddamn reading (reading!!!!) When it happened.
Yep, and he called a family member or friend cop right away right? This guy knew exactly what happened and he was on his way from some Republican event where alcohol was served but they tried to say right away that he’s not a drinker. We will never know though.
They didn’t draw his blood for toxicology screening for 15 hours. He could have been well over the legal limit and had no alcohol in his system by that point. I cannot get over the fact that the man’s FACE went through his WINDSHIELD and his glasses ended up on the floorboard, but this MAGA tool said, “welp, I hit a deer, nothing to see here!” And the whole town went along with it!! And then he refused to resign as AG, because his political ambitions are worth more than a man’s life. No remorse, no empathy, just arrogance and smugness. The VF article is fascinating and sad. I hope Jennifer Boever sues him to kingdom come and wins a substantial civil judgment.
I hope the family sues this guy.
Doesn’t using the phrase “ran someone down” Imply the action was deliberate? Was this guy driving his car with the intent to run this man over? I take issue with that wording.
He is a terrible creature and should do time, pay the family of his victim a substantial sum and be barred from politics. And those who helped him should be investigated.
i suppose it could be subjective, i take it as a general action statement, and not a statement that implies intentional action…
I guess i took the other reference of good ol’boys and felt it more deliberate. With so many more ways accurate words to nail him to a wall..
I cannot believe a murderer became a state attorney general. I know it happened 2 months before the election and I’m not sure when he was found to hit the man but he should have dropped out/not been voted in/resigned.
He should have resigned/dropped out, but that would require at least a modicum of decency. MAGAts simply do not have that. They seriously do not care who they hurt or offend, in fact, they revel in it.
And Trump should have stepped away from his conflict of interest businesses/business dealings with enemy agents of the US when he became president, but he didn’t do that either.
12 hours. Murderer.
Does the family of the victim have any hope of a civil suit?
Another sloppy MAGAT murderous guy in a baggy, ill fitting dark suit and a long red tie.
It’s still good to be a white guy in high places in many parts of the US.
Moral of the story; stay out of South Dakota. Drive around it if you have to.
I hope the Boever family takes Ravnsborg to the cleaners in a civil suit.
I read that the governor, who is Republican and a conservative is calling for his resignation or impeachment. Which is surprising. Of course, now the male conservatives are going after her. It’s all horrible. I hope the family can sue. But I think it would have to be in federal court to have any hope of winning.
Of course they’re going after her. She can be a conservative and MAGA as she wants, but she will never be a part of the old boys club. That club only has one type of membership – rich, white, and toxic male. As soon as they deem you not useful or endangering their privilege, they have no loyalty and will throw you out.
It’s always sad to me though to see people who desperately try to impress that membership thinking they’ll be accepted, but sorry to say if you don’t fit that criteria, you’ll never really be a part of the group no matter how much you abase yourself.
I don’t recall reading about this but I am in disbelief.
Um SOUTH Dakota is way different than NORTH Dakota but still yet another disgrace and embarrassment for my home state.
There ARE libs and sane people here in South Dakota, I promise. Not enough of us though. though.
My husband and I speculated that if he knew he had hit a WHITE dude he might have stopped. The indigenous folks here face tremendous hurdles, even just getting from one place to another.
Lock. Him. Up