Psychiatric Records Allowed In Ravnsborg Trial

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A judge overseeing the criminal trial of South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has ordered medical providers to turn over their health records for the pedestrian who was struck and killed by Ravnsborg last year.

This week, retired Circuit Court Judge John Brown issued letters to several hospitals and clinics, ordering them to provide records about Joe Boever’s psychiatric state. The order comes after Ravnsborg’s defense alledged in court documents that Boever’s Sept. 12 death may have been a suicide.

Investigators say Ravnsborg was distracted and swerved out of his lane when he was driving on Highway 14 near Highmore when he struck and killed Boever, a 55-year-old who was walking along the highway with a flashlight. Ravnsborg faces three misdemeanor charges of careless driving, use of an electronic device while driving and illegal lane change.