South Dakota attorney general impeachment effort halted

The South Dakota House of Representatives voted 57-11 to amend the resolution that called for impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg to make it "on the potential impeachment" of the attorney general.

CNN has reached out to a representative for Ravnsborg for comment.

The articles were first filed on February 23 by Republican state Rep. Will Mortenson, but gained broad support from his colleagues, including GOP House Majority Leader Kent Peterson and House Minority Leader Jamie Smith, a Democrat, both of whom co-sponsored the resolution.

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem also supports the impeachment effort, her spokesperson, Ian Fury, said last month. The governor has also called on Ravnsborg to resign.

CNN has reached out to Noem's office for comment on Monday's vote.

Ravnsborg faces three misdemeanor charges in the September 12 accident that led to the death of 55-year-old Joseph Boever.

Calls for his ousting ramped up last month after officials released new evidence in the case, including saying they found Boever's broken glasses in Ravnsborg's car and that the victim's face had come through the attorney general's windshield. Ravnsborg initially told police he had hit a deer, but he discovered Boever's body the following morning after returning to the scene of the collision.

The article of impeachment filed by Mortenson says that "following the collision, including during his reporting of the collision and the resulting investigation, Jason Ravnsborg undertook actions unbecoming the Attorney General."

Ravnsborg, a Republican, was elected South Dakota attorney general in 2018, according to his office's website.