南达科他州司法部长杰森·拉文斯伯格周二被州众议院议员弹劾碰撞他涉嫌导致一名55岁男子死亡。
根据弹劾条款，众议院以36票对31票的投票结果弹劾了Ravnsborg，并指控他犯下了导致他人死亡的罪行，在车祸发生后向执法人员做出了“大量虚假陈述”，并利用他的办公室操纵刑事调查。
警方说，Ravnsborg在2020年9月12日从州共和党举办的晚宴上开车回来，当时他撞到了55岁的约瑟夫·博弗，他当时正在南达科他州Highmore以西一英里的路上行走。调查人员说，Ravnsborg拨打了911，并声称他认为他撞到了一只动物，然后开着另一辆车回家。
第二天早上发现了Boever的尸体。
提出弹劾条款的州众议员威尔·莫滕森(Will Mortenson)在投票后的一份声明中说，“当我们处理你们一名公民的生命时，我认为这给每个人都带来了沉重的负担。”
投票期间，Boever的几个家庭成员，包括他的遗孀Jennifer Boever和他的母亲Dorothy Boever都在场。这家人带来了约瑟夫和詹妮弗·波弗结婚那天的照片。
“我们很高兴，这个男人来了，把它带走了...这是不可原谅的，”詹妮弗·博弗在投票后告诉记者。“我很高兴我们在这里获得了投票，现在我们只需要参议院的帮助。”
调查人员确定Ravnsborg他开车的时候分心了在撞上拿着手电筒的Boever之前，他的车完全越过了公路路肩。调查人员说，警官们不相信Ravnsborg最初的一些陈述。
八月，拉文斯堡没有抗辩与车祸有关的两项交通轻罪指控并没有被判入狱。他拒绝了立法者要求他辞职的几次呼吁，包括南达科他州州长克里斯蒂·诺姆，一位共和党人。
Ravnsborg将被暂时免职，等待南达科他州参议院的弹劾审判。审判日期尚未确定。然而，州宪法规定，参议院必须等待至少20天，弹劾听证会才能开始。
“众议院进行了投票，我尊重这一过程，但我期待参议院的审判，我相信我会被证明是正确的，”Ravnsborg在一份声明中说，他是南达科他州历史上第一位被弹劾的州官员。
在投票之前，Ravnsborg写信给立法者，敦促他们赦免他阿格斯队长报告。
“树立如此低的先例将影响许多被判犯有二级和一级轻罪的立法机构成员，”他写道。
South Dakota attorney general impeached over fatal car crash
South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborgwas impeached Tuesday by lawmakers in the state House of Representatives over the 2020crashhe was involved in that left a 55-year-old man dead.
The House voted 36-31 to impeach Ravnsborg and charged him with committing crimes that caused someone’s death, making "numerous misrepresentations" to law enforcement officers after the crash and using his office to navigate the criminal investigation, according to the articles of impeachment.
Ravnsborg was driving back from a dinner party hosted by the state Republican Party on Sept. 12, 2020, when he struck Joseph Boever, 55, who was walking on the road, a mile west of Highmore, South Dakota, police said. Ravnsborg called 911 and claimed he thought he hit an animal and drove home in another car, investigators said.
Boever's body was found the next morning.
"When we’re dealing with the life of one of your citizens, I think that weighed heavily on everyone," state Rep. Will Mortenson, who introduced the articles of impeachment, said in a statement following the vote.
Several members of Boever's family, including his widow, Jennifer Boever, and his mother, Dorothy Boever, were in attendance during the vote. The family brought a picture of Joseph and Jennifer Boever on their wedding day.
"We were happy, and for this man to come along and take it away ... this is just inexcusable," Jennifer Boever told reporters after the vote. "I'm glad that we got the vote here, and now we just need the Senate's help on this."
Investigators determined that Ravnsborgwas distracted while he was drivingand his car crossed completely onto the highway shoulder before hitting Boever, who was carrying a flashlight. The investigators said officers didn't believe some of Ravnsborg's initial statements.
In August, Ravnsborgpleaded no contestto a pair of misdemeanor traffic charges related to the crash and was not sentenced to any prison time. He rejected several calls for his resignation from lawmakers, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a fellow Republican.
Ravnsborg will be temporarily removed from office pending an impeachment trial in the South Dakota state Senate. No date has been set for the trial. However, the state constitution says the Senate must wait at least 20 days before impeachment hearings can begin.
"The House of Representatives voted, and I respect the process, but I look forward to the Senate trial, where I believe I will be vindicated," Ravnsborg, who is the first state official to be impeached in South Dakota history, said in a statement.
Prior to the vote, Ravnsborg sent letters to lawmakers before the vote urging them to exonerate him, theArgus Leader reported.
"Setting such a low precedent will affect many members of the Legislature who have been convicted of Class 2 and Class 1 misdemeanors," he wrote.
