Ravensborg said he was grateful that the legal system assumes his innocence for now while relatives of the man killed in the collision, 55-year-old Joseph Boever, said they were disappointed but not surprised that the attorney general was only facing misdemeanour charges.
Hyde County Deputy State s Attorney Emily Sovell said the evidence simply didn t support felony charges of vehicular homicide or manslaughter, which could have meant years of prison time. She noted Ravnsborg wasn t intoxicated, and that a manslaughter charge would have required the state to show he consciously and unjustifiably disregarded a substantial risk. At best, his conduct was negligent, which is insufficient to bring criminal charges in South Dakota, Beadle County State s Attorney Michael Moore, who helped handle the case, said.