South Dakota prosecutor: No charges for Noem’s airplane use

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota prosecutor who was overseeing an investigation into Gov. Kristi Noem’s use of state authorities plane introduced Tuesday that the investigation discovered nothing to assist a legal prosecution.

Hughes County State’s Lawyer Jessica LaMie stated in a brief assertion that there was “no foundation to pursue” any actions on the allegations that the Republican governor had misused the state airplane or that the airplane’s flight information had been altered. She referred to as an allegation that flight information had been tampered with “frivolous.”

Noem, a possible 2024 White Home contender, had used the airplane to attend occasions hosted by political organizations in 2019. Former Lawyer Common Jason Ravnsborg, a Republican, had filed a grievance on the airplane’s use to the state’s Authorities Accountability Board. And the board in August requested the state’s Division of Prison Investigation to probe Noem’s use of the airplane.

State regulation bars the plane from getting used for something aside from state enterprise.

Noem used the state airplane six instances to fly to out-of-state occasions hosted by political organizations, together with the Republican Governors Affiliation, Republican Jewish Coalition, Turning Level USA and the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation. Uncooked Story, a web-based information web site, first reported the journeys, which the governor’s workplace defended as a part of her work because the state’s “ambassador” to bolster the state’s financial system.

Noem additionally argued that Ravnsborg filed the grievance as political retribution. She had pushed for Ravnsborg to resign for his conduct surrounding a 2020 automobile crash by which he struck and killed a pedestrian. Ravnsborg was impeached and faraway from workplace earlier this yr.

LaMie stated she had knowledgeable the Authorities Accountability Board of her determination and referred the matter again to it. She stated she wouldn’t remark additional on the investigation.

LaMie was tasked with overseeing the investigation after Lawyer Common Mark Vargo recused himself. He was appointed by Noem after Ravnsborg was faraway from workplace.