PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The leader of the South Dakota Senate on Wednesday named a lead prosecutor for the impeachment trial of state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg and scheduled it for late June.
The announcement from Republican Sen. Lee Schoenbeck comes one day after House lawmakers voted to impeach Ravnsborg for a car crash that killed a pedestrian.
Ravnsborg, a Republican, is the first official to be impeached in South Dakota history and must take a leave until the Senate decides whether to remove him from office.
Schoenbeck set the trial for June 21-22. He said Pennington County prosecutor Mark Vargo will argue in favor of the two articles of impeachment — one for crimes that led to the death of Joe Boever and the other for malfeasance in office. Clay County State’s Attorney Alexis Tracy will assist in the prosecution.
