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South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg reported hitting a deer with his car Saturday night, but actually killed a pedestrian whose body was not found until the next day, state investigators said Monday.
Ravnsborg’s office has said it immediately called 911 after the accident on a rural stretch of US Highway 14 and did not realize it had struck a man until his body was found.
The public safety department released a statement Monday that said only that Ravnsborg told the Hyde County sheriff’s office that he had struck a deer and did not say whether he reported the accident in a 911 call.
The man, who was identified as Joseph Boever, 55, was not found until Sunday morning. He had crashed his truck in that area before, according to family members, and was apparently walking near the highway there.
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem had revealed on Sunday that Ravnsborg was involved in a fatal accident and said the public safety department was investigating, but neither she nor the agency had provided details about what happened.
Ravnsborg issued a statement Sunday saying he was “shocked and filled with pain” but had also not released details. His office said Monday that he had not had a drink before the accident.
The public safety department said its investigation was ongoing.
Ravnsborg was driving from a Republican fundraiser in Redfield to his home about 110 miles (177 km) away in Pierre, his spokesman, Tim Bormann, said. Ravnsborg was unharmed.
Ravnsborg had been to a fundraising dinner hosted by the Spink County Republicans at Rooster’s Bar & Grill. The attorney general is known to frequently attend fundraising activities known as Lincoln Day Dinners, organized by county Republican groups throughout the state.
Bormann said the attorney general does drink from time to time, but has made it a practice not to drink at Lincoln Day events.
Ravnsborg has received six traffic tickets for speeding in South Dakota over the past six years. He was also fined for a seat belt violation and for driving a vehicle without a proper exhaust system and muffler.
