Jason Ravnsborg goes on trial this week. The man he killed, Joe Boever, does not. Judge John Brown has denied Ravnsborg’s request to use Boever’s mental health records in his desperate defense:
Circuit Judge John Brown reached the decision after a private review requested by Ravnsborg’s defense attorney.
…The judge held a status hearing August 8 in the matter.
In a statement to KELOLAND News, the judge said: “The hearing dealt with the in-camera review of Mr. Boever’s medical records. No further disclosure of the records will be made” [Bob Mercer, “Judge Says AG Ravnsborg Can’t Use Victim’s Mental-Health Records at His Trial,” KELO-TV, 2021.08.23].
Mercer does not report any comment from Judge Brown on what swayed him more: the irrelevance of Joe Boever’s mental health to the traffic misdemeanors he faces, the victim-rights argument raised by Boever’s widow, or some other legal argument.
Ravnsborg’s trial begins this Thursday, August 26, at the Stanley County courthouse in Fort Pierre. Ravnsborg objected to allowing cameras in the courtroom; Judge Brown will permit audio recording. On June 7, the Sixth Judicial Circuit, of which Stanley County is part, extended its order allowing judges to require anyone in the courtroom, jury room, court office, or adjacent common area to wear a mask to prevent transmission of coronavirus.
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Editorial Note: I would love to drive from Aberdeen to Fort Pierre this week to cover Ravnsborg’s trial in person. I do enjoy court reporting. But with South Dakota’s coronavirus spike running hotter than the spike we saw in August 2020, even with my fully FDA-approved Pfizerized antibodies, I remain inclined to stay home and avoid enclosed spaces with reckless Republicans.
Smart choice, Mr. H.
Here’s hoping Judge Brown demands proof of vaccination or a very recent negative test from all involved with the trial.
Mr. H, you would best serve the citizens, immune as you are, double-masked and if necessary goggled and gloved, sitting in the courtroom just a-blogging away. You should go to Pierre and blog the bedickens out of this. Even if you just did it from the safety of your car, watching the comings and goings, there would be value.
You could interview people on the sidewalk, socially distanced of course, as they slunk in and out of the courthouse. It would be better than what Kelo will do, and you know that Sioux Falls newspaper will just ignore this out of laziness.
Grudz..you are sooooo correct..Cory would do a great service to South Dakota by reporting on this trial..KELO and the Argus will spread gloss and sequins over the whole affair….many years ago the Capitol Journal would have done some independent reporting but I am unaware that they do much enterprising reporting any more…bring Terry Woster out of retirement??? Its definitely time for the new journalists in South Dakota to step up.
KELO will “pan and can”…give it 20 seconds…the Argus will be in and out of town in 6 hours. The Rapid Journal doesn’t know where Fort Pierre is…KSFY used to have some interesting political reports when Keegan was the news editor…that was 30 years ago… doubt if they will send an intern…AP coverage hasn’t been exactly enterprising…there are a lot of angles to this story and some very interesting characters…Ravensborg is a perfect heavy, innocent until proven guilty, but his lying to investigators cooked his goose. I’d be shocked if he took the stand.
Thank God Judge Brown recognized a smear campaign when he saw one and nipped it in the bud.
What I’ve heard is that Ravnsborg is more afraid of the civil lawsuit brought by the family against him, which is why he’s willing to do anything to get out of the criminal charges, despite them being misdemeanors, because those could/will be used against him in civil court. But then that’s what poltroons do.
Indeed, Ms. Fisher, it’s an obvious attempt to avoid fodder for the millions of dollars Mr. Ravnsborg should have to pay out of his own nose. That seems, like my granddaughter said, “Well Duh.”
grudznick still thinks Mr. H would be better served, we all would be better served, if he were blogging from the sidelines in Fort Pierre, even if he had to sleep in his car because of covid bugs overrunning the town’s motel.
Ravnsborg may be busy on the Sanford child porn case soon it would seem. Let’s hope that it goes federal so that it doesn’t get the Richard Benda treatment like Jackley provided. Rapid City Journal has an article about it 8.25.21
Appears Roundboy may avoid trial by copping guilty to them pesky misdemeanors.
If he does in fact admit to the misdemeanors, what possible effect, if any, will this have on him as AG? He is literally admitting he screwed up and his screw up killed someone.
I cannot answer your question. Dicta. Shrewder (and more patient) minds than mine may do that; sometimes only time can telI.
I shall say this; though. At the advanced and wise age of a sixty five-year-old woman, I submit El Slobbo is a white, male, Republican lawyer. What do YOU think will happen to him? H*ck, he might not even have to pay that $500 fine.
He’s pleading “no contest”. No admission of guilt. Bastard.
I didnt realize it was a no contest plea. Looks like the only way he leaves is via impeachment or voters
This is South Duhkota where politically connected operate with relative impunity. And when magat officials are involved and a body(ies) turns up, the decedent(s) gets the blame.