South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will not face felony charges after he fatally struck a pedestrian while driving on a highway in September, prosecutors announced on Thursday.
Does that prove that he had no drugs or alcohol in his system 12 hours later, or at the time of the accident? Seems like that is a classic dodge in potential DUI cases; stall the bloodwork as long as you (or your lawyer) can to help your case.
Beadle County State’s Attorney Michael Moore, who helped with the case, said the Boever family was told of the decision beforehand.
“I don’t feel good about it, but it’s the right decision,” Moore said.
He added: “Obviously when a person dies, we want to know what happened. But we’re limited by the investigation and by the facts. And we can’t compel someone to tell us. I mean, there’s just nowhere else to go.”
Spoken by no prosecutor anywhere who wanted to get to the bottom of a crime.
Each charge is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine, Sovell said.
These are slaps on the wrist and I’m sure the SD AG is currently working on a plea deal to get the “jail time” served with home detention due to COVID.
12 hours later. Though the test for weed will return a positive even two weeks after use, something to keep in mind when you hear a DA blatting about a person’s impairment from marijuana.
They could interview the folks who were at the party he left less than 2 hours prior, and interview the folks working the event. And look for video footage from fixed cameras and party-goers. Maybe they’re waiting for the civil suit to do their job for them.
Seems to me that not paying that asshole for 90 days might be something…just something more than what he’s going to face.
I wonder if Boever’s family is going to sue him for wrongful death?
Yes and that appears likely to be the only justice they get:
Nick Nemec, Boever’s cousin, said Thursday he was “disappointed, but not surprised” at the prosecutor’s decision. He called South Dakota law “weak” when it comes to manslaughter. He said he expected family members to bring civil action against Ravnsborg.
When I did driver ed, I learned that any accident resulting in personal injury or > $X in damage requires notification of the police. Generally the insurance company wants a police report, or they won’t pay a claim. The police can’t really do a report of you wait a day to tell them about it.