Jason Ravnsborg: Crash, Impeachment, and Law License Suspensions

Jason Ravnsborg is the former South Dakota Attorney General who struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in September 2020, lied to investigators about using his phone behind the wheel, and in June 2022 became the first official in state history to be impeached and removed from office.

Ravnsborg served as Attorney General from January 2019 until his removal. He graduated from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 2001, practiced privately in Yankton, and served multiple tours in the Army Reserve, reaching the rank of colonel after 24 years of service.¹ He won the attorney general’s race in 2018.²

The Crash That Killed Joe Boever

On the night of September 12, 2020, Ravnsborg was driving home from a Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in Redfield, South Dakota. At roughly 10:23 p.m., his Ford Taurus struck 55-year-old Joe Boever, who was walking on or near the shoulder of U.S. Highway 14 near Highmore. Boever died on impact from massive traumatic injuries.³⁴

Ravnsborg called 911, opening the call by identifying himself as “the Attorney General.” He told the dispatcher he had hit something but did not know what. “I have no idea,” he said when asked if it was a deer. Hyde County Sheriff Mike Volek responded to the scene and later admitted he “did not even consider that Jason Ravnsborg hit a body” despite the damage to the car. Volek noticed a light glowing in the grass but assumed it was a vehicle bulb and did not investigate further.³

Boever’s body was not found until the following morning, when North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents returned to the scene. Human blood was on the passenger side of the car. Boever’s glasses were on the passenger-side floorboard, meaning the force of the impact had sent his face through the windshield. Ravnsborg told investigators he never noticed the glasses, though he had reached into the glove compartment near them after the crash.⁵

Shortly after the crash, Ravnsborg texted his chief of staff and the director of the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation a photo of the damaged car with the message, “I am OK but my car is not.” The DCI director replied: “Oh [expletive] … did the deer die instantly?”³

What the Phone Data Showed

Because the South Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation falls under the Attorney General’s jurisdiction, the investigation was handed to North Dakota agents to avoid a conflict. Toxicology tests showed no drugs or alcohol in Ravnsborg’s system.³ The question that defined the case was whether he was distracted by his phone.

In two interviews, Ravnsborg denied it. He said he had set his phone down before impact, turned off a Minnesota Twins broadcast, and checked his speedometer. He told his father he was not using his phone, speeding, or driving off the shoulder.³

Forensic analysis of his iPhone contradicted that. The phone had been locked at 10:22:48 p.m. and unlocked at 10:24:06 p.m., bracketing the estimated 10:23:37 p.m. impact. Minutes before the crash, he had opened his Yahoo email, visited the Dakota Free Press website, and clicked on a political news article.⁶ North Dakota investigators also recreated the scene with an agent dressed in Boever’s clothing and carrying the same type of flashlight, and told Ravnsborg “it’s pretty apparent that you were not looking at the road when that happened.”⁷

Confronted with the metadata, Ravnsborg sat silent for several seconds and said, “not that I can recall.” He then shifted his account, admitting he had “looked at stuff” on his phone but insisting he had put it down before the crash. The South Dakota Supreme Court later called these shifting explanations “actual dishonesty and misrepresentations” and a “concerted effort to avoid criminal liability.”⁶ Three days after the crash, he had asked a DCI agent what level of cell phone data, including app usage and emails, investigators could retrieve.³

The Criminal Charges and Sentence

In February 2021, prosecutors charged Ravnsborg with three Class 2 misdemeanors: operating a vehicle while using a mobile device, improper lane driving, and careless driving. Each carried a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.⁸

On August 26, 2021, the day before trial, Ravnsborg entered no-contest pleas to the phone and lane charges. The careless driving charge was dropped. Judge John Brown sentenced him to $500 in fines per count, $1,000 total, plus $3,742.38 in court costs. There was no jail time. Brown also ordered him to perform a public service event on distracted driving each year for five years around the crash anniversary.⁹¹⁰

Boever’s widow, Jenny Boever, told the court: “His actions are incomprehensible, inexcusable and cannot be forgiven.” His sister Jane Boever said the family had “waited 349 long days” for an outcome that was “not the end we hoped for or expected,” noting that Joe had been left in a ditch for nearly 12 hours. The family publicly called Ravnsborg a “killer.”⁹ Jenny Boever’s wrongful death suit was resolved through a confidential settlement in September 2021.¹¹

A Pattern of Using His Title at Traffic Stops

Reporting after the crash exposed how often Ravnsborg had leveraged his office to avoid traffic citations. The Department of Public Safety found he had been stopped by law enforcement at least eight times between taking office and the fatal crash. In six of those stops he was driving a state vehicle; in at least four he verbally identified himself as the Attorney General, and in another he showed his badge. None of the eight resulted in a citation.¹² A broader review found he had been pulled over more than 25 times across his driving history.¹³

In Nebraska, stopped for speeding, he told the officer, “my other thing is . . . I’m also the attorney general in South Dakota,” and was released without a citation. In Iowa, stopped for running a four-way stop, he volunteered, “I have a driver’s license . . . it’s a state car and I’m actually the attorney general.” No citation. Five days before killing Boever, he was pulled over in Huron, South Dakota, for allegedly failing to stop at a stop sign; he displayed his badge and said, “I’m actually the attorney general.” The state Supreme Court later called these “ill-disguised yet successful efforts” to avoid accountability.⁶

Impeachment and Removal From Office

Governor Kristi Noem called for Ravnsborg to resign shortly after the crash. Her chief of staff texted him three days later asking him to take a voluntary leave. He did not respond and refused to step down, later claiming he stayed in office to protect ongoing investigations into Noem.¹⁴

A South Dakota House select committee voted 6-2 against recommending impeachment, but the full House overrode that recommendation. On April 12, 2022, representatives voted 36-31 to impeach on two articles.¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷ He was the first official in South Dakota history to be impeached and convicted.¹⁸ Noem appointed Marty Jackley, Ravnsborg’s predecessor, as interim Attorney General.

Law License Suspensions in Two States

After the impeachment, a prosecutor from the Senate trial filed an ethics complaint with the Disciplinary Board of the South Dakota State Bar. The board recommended a 26-month suspension, borrowed from the discipline given to former Governor Bill Janklow after his 2003 felony manslaughter conviction. A court-appointed referee, retired Judge Bradley Zell, recommended only a public censure.¹⁹

On September 18, 2024, the South Dakota Supreme Court, in an opinion by Chief Justice Steven Jensen, rejected both recommendations. The court found Ravnsborg violated three Rules of Professional Conduct: dishonesty about his phone use, conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, and using his title to improperly influence law enforcement.⁶ It imposed a six-month suspension, reasoning that his misdemeanors were less severe than Janklow’s felony but that censure was too light. The earliest he could resume practicing in South Dakota was March 18, 2025.²⁰

Iowa followed with reciprocal discipline. Ravnsborg asked for no more than a private reprimand, arguing identical penalties in two states “would be too severe” and citing his Iowa roots and military service. On January 31, 2025, the Iowa Supreme Court ordered a 60-day suspension of his Iowa license, without explaining why it chose a shorter term than South Dakota.²¹²²

Where He Is Now

Ravnsborg is permanently barred from holding public office in South Dakota. Court records list his residence as Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, and he had been on active military duty in South Korea for the year preceding January 2025.²¹ He had not practiced law since his removal in 2022.²⁰

1
KELOLAND News. Ravnsborg Announces Promotion to Colonel in Army Reserves
2
Findlaw. In re the Discipline of Ravnsborg
3
Argus Leader. South Dakota AG Jason Ravnsborg Crash Documents Released
4
ABC News. South Dakota Officials Release 911 Call, Autopsy Results
5
KELOLAND News. Tracing Ravnsborg’s Fall From Deadly Crash to Removal From Office
6
Unified Judicial System of South Dakota. In re the Discipline of Jason R. Ravnsborg
7
NPR. South Dakota AG Faces Impeachment, Calls to Resign Over New Evidence in Fatal Crash
8
NBC News. South Dakota AG to Take Plea Deal After Fatally Striking Man
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KELOLAND News. Ravnsborg Sentenced at Thursday Plea Hearing
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New York Times. South Dakota Jason Ravnsborg Plea Deal
11
Argus Leader. Jason Ravnsborg Settles Suit With Widow of Joe Boever
12
Mitchell Republic. Ravnsborg Named in 27 Traffic Stop Reports Across Three States
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Dakota News Now. New Police Cam Videos Reveal Details of Ravnsborg’s Traffic Stops
14
Argus Leader. South Dakota AG Jason Ravnsborg Encouraged to Take Leave
15
Courthouse News. South Dakota House Votes to Impeach Attorney General
16
NPR. South Dakota Attorney General Ravnsborg Impeached
17
NBC News. South Dakota Impeachment Trial Probes AG’s Fatal Crash
18
Politico. South Dakota Attorney General Impeached
19
South Dakota Searchlight. State Supreme Court Suspends Law License of Former Attorney General for Six Months
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SDPB. SD Supreme Court Suspends Ravnsborg’s Law License for 6 Months
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South Dakota Searchlight. Iowa Court Suspends License of Former South Dakota Attorney General
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Iowa Capital Dispatch. Iowa Court Suspends License of Former South Dakota Attorney General