South Dakota Attorney General Under Fire After Deadly Accident

South Dakota’s Republican attorney general is facing impeachment after being charged in connection with a fatal car accident that took place in the fall.

Jason Ravnsborg, 44, was charged with three misdemeanors — including unsafely driving outside a lane and using his phone while driving — after he allegedly struck and killed Joseph Boever, 55, on Sept. 12. Ravnsborg was reportedly not on his phone at the time of the accident.

Still, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has called on Ravnsborg to resign.

“Now that the investigation has closed and charges have been filed, I believe the Attorney General should resign,” Noem tweeted Tuesday. “I have reviewed the material we are releasing, starting today, and I encourage others to review it as well.”

State legislators on both sides Tuesday introduced a resolution to remove Ravnsborg from office.

“One article of impeachment was for allegedly causing the death of Boever, and the second was for his actions afterward, which lawmakers called ‘unbecoming’ and said ‘failed to meet the standard of’ his office,” the Washington Examiner noted.

A spokesman representing Ravnsborg released a statement saying Ravnsborg does not plan to resign.

“At no time has this issue impeded his ability to do the work of the office,” spokesman Mike Deaver said of Ravnsborg in the statement. “Instead, he has handled some of the largest settlements and legislative issues the state has ever been through.”

Ravnsborg told detectives he was unaware he had hit someone until the next day, the Examiner reported.