North Dakota US Sen. Kevin Cramer’s son pleads guilty in car-chase death of a deputy

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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The adult son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer pleaded guilty on Friday to all the charges he faced in connection with a car-chase crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy.

Ian Cramer, 43, changed his plea in the Dec. 6, 2023, death of Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53. The charges included homicide while fleeing peace officer, fleeing a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, driving under suspension, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

The judge ordered a mental and substance abuse evaluation ahead of his sentencing. The prosecution did not agree in advance to recommend a lower sentence as part of the plea deal. The homicide offense alone is punishable in North Dakota by up to 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

Kevin Cramer, a Republican who is running for a second Senate term, has said his son “suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”

Cramer wore an orange jumpsuit as he appeared for his sentencing over Zoom from jail. He repeatedly stated, “Yes, your honor” as the judge quizzed him on whether he understood the proceedings. The hearing lasted just 10 minutes.

Neither Cramer’s attorney nor staff in his father’s senate office immediately responded to phone or email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. A woman who answered the phone in the prosecutor’s office said the state’s attorney didn’t have any comment.

Before the crash, Ian Cramer’s mother had taken him to a hospital because of mental health concerns. When she stepped out of the vehicle, Ian Cramer crawled into the driver's seat and sped in reverse, smashing through a closed garage door to the ambulance bay and fleeing the hospital, Bismarck police said.

He later fled again when a deputy confronted him in Hazen, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) from Bismarck, and hit speeds over 100 mph (160 kph), continuing even after a spiked device flattened two tires, according to court documents.

More spikes were set up, and Cramer swerved and then crashed head-on into Martin’s patrol vehicle, launching the deputy about 100 feet (30 meters), authorities said. Martin was pronounced dead at a hospital.

In March, Ian Cramer pleaded not guilty to separate felony charges of theft, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment in connection with the events at the hospital. A jury trial was scheduled for November. Cramer has been held at the McLean County Jail in Washburn on $500,000 cash bail.

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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas.