Gov. Kristi Noem said former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was on his phone when he struck and killed Joe Boever along Highway 14 in September of 2020.
The account in Noem’s new book, "No Going Back," is different from findings in the investigation by the state Department of Public Safety.
“The ensuing investigation revealed he was reading an article on his cell phone when his car hit a man who was walking on the side of the roadway,” Noem wrote.
The state Highway Patrol found Ravnsborg was on his phone for most of his two-hour drive home from a Republican fundraiser.
Ravnsborg spent roughly a minute reading an article about Joe Biden's family business dealings in China. However, investigators said the former Attorney General’s screen was off and phone was locked as he entered the town of Highmore.
The fatal crash occurred after Ravnsborg drove through town, population just over 600.
The incident resulted in the Republican Attorney General getting impeached and permanently barred from ever holding state office. Ravnsborg is the first South Dakota official to get impeached.
“Such a contention is completely and totally untrue,” said Ravnsborg’s criminal defense lawyer, Tim Rensch. “And given her comments in the past about reviewing the entire file in great detail such could not be misunderstood.”
State lawmakers impeached Ravnsborg, in part, for being a distracted driver when the incident occurred and misrepresenting events to law enforcement.
As for the criminal case, the difference between him being or not being on his phone at the time of the crash is significant.
Ravnsborg was charged with three misdemeanor counts. He pleaded no contest to two of those misdemeanors.
Many thought Ravnsborg should have been charged with a felony.
Prosecutors in the case said a felony charge in South Dakota, like manslaughter, requires proving recklessness. That is when a person knowingly ignores or disregards substantial risks of their actions.
While Noem’s recounting of the crash that led to the death of Joe Boever appears to be inaccurate, one media lawyer said the anecdotal error is unlikely to rise to the level of libel.
"From the evidence I was shown, it would seem Noem has overstated her case about the crash,” said Jon Arneson, a lawyer in South Dakota. “But not all falsehoods are defamatory. Inaccurate? Yes. Libelous? Probably not.”
A spokesperson for the governor’s office has not returned requests for comment.
The anecdote is one of a few facing questions about accuracy in the autobiography, which was released on Tuesday.
— Center Street (@centerstreet) May 5, 2024
The publisher, Center Street Books, said new copies of the book will not contain an anecdote about Noem meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
The move comes following skepticism about the meeting ever taking place.
Noem said the anecdote is getting removed, though she is neither confirming nor denying the meeting happened.
“I don’t talk about my conversations with world leaders,” Noem said on Fox News, Monday night.
The book contains stories of Noem’s conversations with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Noem describes the book as a blueprint for American citizens and politicians.
“To really unite and move forward, we need truth from our leaders,” she writes in the introduction.
