Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg

Governor Won't Say How Investigation Impacts Attorney General's Duties

By Jackie Hendry • 20 hours ago

Note: This story was updated 5:32 pm 9/15/2020

It’s not clear if the governor has the legal authority to put Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg on leave during the investigation of his fatal collision over the weekend. The state constitution puts impeachment authority for certain state officers with the legislature, but it doesn’t say if the Attorney General can be removed on a temporary basis otherwise.

Governor Kristi Noem told reporters she hasn’t yet considered putting Ravnsborg on leave.

DPS Identifies Victim In AG Ravnsborg Fatal Crash

By • Sep 14, 2020

The Department of Public Safety is identifying the victim in a fatal crash involving South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg.

Ravnsborg told the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office he thought he had hit a deer.

Officials say 55 year old Joseph Boever died Saturday night in a pedestrian-vehicle crash west of Highmore.

According to the Department of Public Safety, Ravnsborg was driving westbound on US Highway 14, when he struck Boever.

Boever’s body was discovered the next morning.

Attorney General Ravnsborg Involved in Fatal Crash on Highway 14

By Jackie Hendry • Sep 13, 2020

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was involved in a car crash on Saturday night that resulted in one fatality. Ranvsborg says he’s fully cooperating with the investigation. 

The incident happened around 10:30 Saturday night on Highway 14 just west of Highmore in central South Dakota.

Governor Kristi Noem says law enforcement is working on identifying the person killed and notifying the family. 

Senate Passes Partial Presumptive Probation Repeal

By Lee Strubinger • Feb 25, 2020

The state Senate is passing a partial rollback of presumptive probation—a bill championed by the Attorney General.

Senators are passing the legislation 19 to 16, which could increase prison costs. Critics say the state should focus instead on treatment.

Senate Bill 6 creates an aggravating circumstance if someone convicted of a drug crime doesn’t cooperate with law enforcement. That allows law enforcement to place defendants in jail.

It’s an update to Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg’s attempt to fully repeal presumptive probation, which failed last year.

Senate Passes Bill Establishing Missing Persons Clearinghouse

By Jackie Hendry • Jan 27, 2020

A bill to create a missing person’s clearinghouse is moving to the House after passing unanimously in the Senate. The bill is the result of legislative action last year calling on the Division of Criminal Investigations and attorney general to collaborate in response to high numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

South Dakota Joins Alabama, Louisiana In Equal Rights Amendment Lawsuit

By Lee Strubinger • Dec 19, 2019

South Dakota is suing the archivist of the United States over the Equal Rights Amendment.

Other plaintiff’s include Alabama and Louisiana. They say the ERA cannot be ratified because the congressional deadline for ratification has expired.

The amendment guarantees “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States of by any state on account of sex.”

Ravnsborg Proposes "Stair Step" Reduction To Presumptive Probation

By Lee Strubinger • Oct 22, 2019
State of South Dakota

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg is proposing two pieces of legislation he calls “stair step” reductions to presumptive probation.

Ravnsborg proposed the legislation during a legislative summer study on controlled substances offenses. Some committee members say it’s out of the committee’s scope.

Republican Attorney General Ravnsborg dropped two draft legislation during a summer study committee meeting.

South Dakota Gets $1 Million In Equifax Settlement

By Lee Strubinger • Jul 22, 2019
State of South Dakota

The state of South Dakota is receiving approximately 1 million dollars as part of a settlement reached with Equifax.
 
Attorney General Jason Ravnborg says nearly 300-thousand South Dakotans were impacted by the hack.
 
He says the settlement money will go to further investigations, consumer protection areas and education.
 

State Groups Want Clarity On CBD Legality Following Arrest In Sioux Falls

By Lee Strubinger • Apr 9, 2019

An Alaska man was arrested in Sioux Falls for possessing CBD oil. Law enforcement officials say CBD oil is illegal in South Dakota.

CBD is a compound found in cannabis plants—both marijuana and hemp. It appears in products like lotions and drinks and appears in health stores, spas and coffee shops.

It’s the first such arrest after Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg issued a clarifying statement saying current state law makes all forms of CBD oil illegal.

Others say the law is not so clear.

Noem: Presumptive Probation Big Question For Lawmakers This Session

By Lee Strubinger • Jan 24, 2019

Governor Kristi Noem says the biggest question facing lawmakers is the potential ramifications of repealing presumptive probation.

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg’s bill to remove the law is awaiting a committee hearing.

Presumptive probation was signed into law in 2013 as a part of the Public Safety Improvement Act. That law requires courts to sentence a person to probation, rather than prison time, for any Class 5 or 6 felonies, which are often low-level, non-violent drug offenses.

Senate Bill Ends Presumptive Probation

By Lee Strubinger • Jan 9, 2019

A bill sponsored by the South Dakota Attorney General repeals the presumption of probation for non-violent drug crimes.

The presumption was a part of a criminal justice overhaul package passed by the legislature in 2013.

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg campaigned on ending presumptive probation. He says

Ravnsborg says Senate Bill 19 gives discretion back to judges.