Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg of South Dakota was impeached by the state legislature on Tuesday in connection to a controversial road accident. Ravnsborg, in 2020, killed a pedestrian in the crash but originally said he struck a deer.

The articles of impeachment required approval from a majority of the 70 members of the House and passed by just one vote.

Even though a Senate trial is pending for the state official, he will be removed from office until the case is closed. Ravnsborg became the first-ever Republican official to be impeached in South Dakota.

Also Read: South Dakota AG had 2 close calls with police before crash

Will Mortenson, a state representative in the South Dakota House, said, “When we are dealing with the life of one of your citizens, I think that weighed heavily on everyone.” Mortenson was the lawmaker who introduced the articles of impeachment.

In August 2021, Ravnsborg decided not to contest a pair of misdemeanor traffic charges to get fines and avoid jail time, according to Associated Press.

In narrowly voting to impeach the state’s top prosecutor, the Republican-controlled House charged Ravnsborg with committing crimes that caused someone’s death, making “numerous misrepresentations” to law enforcement officers after the crash and using his office to navigate the criminal investigation. A Senate conviction would mean Ravnsborg would be barred from holding any state office in the future.

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What do we know about the car crash?

The incident happened in September 2020, after Ravnsborg attended a Republican dinner and was driving back home when he struck Joseph Boever, a pedestrian walking along a rural highway.

Ravnsborg then reportedly called 911 and reported the incident, saying that he hit a deer or a large animal. A law enforcement officer who responded to his call also reported the case in a similar way. Ravnsborg later said he did not realize he hit a man until he returned the next day and found the body.