South Dakota House panel recommends against impeaching AG over fatal car accident

South Dakota's state House investigation committee recommended the state's Republican Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg not face impeachment.

The panel's recommendation comes after an inquiry into a fatal traffic accident in which Ravnsborg hit and killed a pedestrian with his car nearly two years ago on a rural highway.

The 22-page report, obtained by KELO-TV from the Republican-led committee, states: "After careful and comprehensive investigation and consideration of the facts and applicable law, a majority of the Select Committee hereby concludes Attorney General Ravnsborg did not commit an impeachable offense in his conduct surrounding the death of Joe Boever."

The minority report concludes that Ravnsborg should be impeached for malfeasance.

"The Select Committee on Impeachment unequivocally condemns Governor Noem’s attempts to influence this Committee," the majority report states.

"The Select Committee also notes that the question of impeachment is now in front of the entire House of Representatives," the Republican report concludes. "It cautions Governor Noem and the executive branch from seeking to improperly influence members of the House of Representatives."

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem issued a statement last year saying that she was disappointed about the Ravnsborg case.

"Like many South Dakotans, I am not only disappointed in how this process was handled by prosecutors, but outraged at the result of today’s plea hearing and sentencing. Ravnsborg has not accepted responsibility for the death of Joseph Boever and did not even appear in court today to face the charges or the Boever family," she said at the time.

The South Dakota House is set to vote on April 12 on whether Ravnsborg should be impeached.