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The son of US Senator Kevin Cramer, RND, will spend decades in prison after he was convicted of killing a sheriff’s deputy in a crash while fleeing law enforcement.
Ian Cramer, 43, will serve 28 years in prison for the Dec. 6, 2023, death of Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53.
State District Judge Bobbi Weiler sentenced Cramer to 38 years with 10 suspended, three years of probation and credit for time served. He said he likely won’t serve the entire sentence since those aren’t mandatory minimums, according to The Associated Press.
“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 the opportunity to have a second chance that Rep. Martin does. neither does his family,” Weiler said, adding that he is seeking addiction and mental health treatment.
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 hit-and-run while fleeing law enforcement 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 was experiencing long-term effects from “taking drugs to put- is in a state of mental illness.”
On the day of the accident, Cramer’s mother was taking him to a hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, for mental health issues. When she got out of the car, he slid into the driver’s seat and drove off, breaking through a locked door to the hospital’s emergency room.
Deputies pulled him over in Hazen, about 70 miles from Bismarck, but Cramer continued to drive, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph. Law enforcement deployed spiked devices, which flattened two tires, but did not stop him.
The crash occurred when Cramer swerved to avoid more 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 Ian Cramer, who was fleeing law enforcement, hit him head-on. (Mercer County Sheriff’s Office)
NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR’S SON FACEDS UPDATE IN ACCIDENT THAT KILLED SHERIFF’S DEPUTY
Cramer initially pleaded not guilty charges against him in April, but changed his plea to guilty in September.
Charges included manslaughter while fleeing from a police officer, fleeing from a police officer, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment, driving under suspension, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
The charge of murder it usually 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 feels “responsible for what happened” the day Martin was killed, the AP reported.
Senator Cramer has previously said that his son “suffers from severe mental disorders that manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.” He told reporters Monday that while he praises the officers, the court and the jail, he is “a little disappointed that mental health is so casually dismissed by both the court and the prosecutor.”
Senator Kevin Cramer, RND, has previously said his son struggles with serious mental health issues. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The 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 are, under any circumstances, choices that go back many years.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
