Son of US Senator Kevin Cramer, RN.D., will spend decades in prison after being convicted of killing a sheriff’s deputy in a crash while fleeing from police.
Ian Cramer, 43, will serve 28 years in prison for the Dec. 6, 2023, death of 53-year-old Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin.
State District Judge Bobbi Weiler sentenced Cramer to 38 years with 10 suspended, three years probation and credit for time served. She said she likely won’t serve the full sentence since those aren’t mandatory minimums, The Associated Press reports.
“These are not mandatory minimums, which means you will probably serve a small portion of those 28 years and be on parole, so it will … give you a chance to get a second chance that Deputy Martin doesn’t have, and his family doesn’t,” Weiler said, adding that he is seeking addiction and mental health treatment.
NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR SAYS SON WAS INVOLVED IN POLICE PURSUIT, CRASH THAT KILLED SHERIFF’S DEPUTY
Ian Cramer, son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, RN.D., will serve 28 years in prison for killing Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin during a crash while fleeing police in December 2023. (AP Photo/Jack Dura)
Mercer County State’s Attorney Todd Schwarz said Cramer admitted to using methamphetamine and bath salts on the day of the incident, and that he had long-term effects of “taking drugs to put himself in a mentally ill state.”
On the day of the accident, Cramer was taken to a hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota by his mother for mental health concerns. When she got out of the car, he slid into the driver’s seat and drove off, breaking through the closed doors of the hospital’s emergency department.
Deputies confronted him in Hazen, about 70 miles from Bismarck, but Cramer continued to drive, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. Engaged law enforcement devices with spikes, which punctured two of his tires, but did not stop him.
The accident occurred when Cramer swerved to avoid the new spikes and hit Martin’s patrol car head-on. The deputy was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53, died after being head-butted by Ian Cramer who was fleeing from police. (Mercer County Sheriff’s Office)
NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR’S SON FACEES ENHANCED CHARGES IN CRASH THAT KILLED DEPUTY
Cramer initially pleaded not guilty accusations against him in April, but pleaded guilty in September.
Charges included murder while fleeing from an officer, fleeing from an officer, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment, driving under suspension, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
The a charge of murder carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
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Cramer’s mother, Kris, apologized in court Monday and said she felt “responsible for what happened” the day Martin was killed, the AP reported.
Senator Cramer previously said his son “suffers from severe mental disorders manifested by severe paranoia and hallucinations.” He told reporters Monday that while he praised the officers, the court and the jail, he was “somewhat disappointed that mental health is so casually dismissed by both the court and the prosecutor.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer, RN.D., previously said his son struggles with serious mental issues. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Senator, who was re-elected for a second term in November, he said that everyone, including his son, is aware that “it was his choices that led to this, whatever they were, under whatever conditions, choices that go back many years.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
