The son of Sen. Kevin Cramer (RN.D.) will spend decades in prison after being convicted of killing a sheriff’s deputy in an accident while fleeing law enforcement.
Ian Kramer, 43, will serve 28 years in prison for the death of Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53, on December 6, 2023.
State District Judge Bobby Weiler sentenced Kramer to 38 years in prison, 10 years suspended, three years suspended, and three years suspended. She said she probably won’t serve the full sentence because these are not mandatory minimums, according to the Associated Press.
“These are not mandatory minimums. So you’ll probably serve a small portion of those 28 years and be eligible for parole. So it’s… like Deputy Martin did. It’s going to give you a chance to get a second chance.” He doesn’t have one, and neither does his family,” Weiler said, adding that he is seeking treatment for addiction and mental health. .
North Dakota senator says son was involved in police pursuit, crash that killed sheriff’s deputy
Ian Cramer, son of Sen. Kevin Cramer (RN.D.), is charged with killing Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin in a December 2023 crash while fleeing law enforcement. He will be sentenced to 28 years in prison. (AP Photo/Jacques Duras)
Mercer County State’s Attorney Todd Schwartz said Kramer admitted to using methamphetamine and bath salts on the day of the incident and was experiencing the long-term effects of “drug ingestion that resulted in a psychotic state.” .
On the day of the accident, Kramer’s mother had taken him to a hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, for mental health issues. When she got out of the car, the man slid into the driver’s seat and drove off through the closed door of the hospital’s emergency room.
Deputies confronted him in Hazen, about 110 miles from Bismarck, but Cramer continued driving, reaching speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. Law enforcement deployed spiked equipment and punctured two tires, but were unable to stop the vehicle.
The collision occurred when Kramer swerved to avoid further spikes and collided head-on with Martin’s police car. The deputy was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53, was killed when he was hit head-on by Ian Kramer, who was fleeing from law enforcement. (Mercer County Sheriff’s Office)
North Dakota senator’s son faces deferred prosecution in crash that killed a sheriff’s deputy
Kramer initially pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in April, but changed his plea to guilty in September.
Charges include murder while fleeing a police officer, fleeing a police officer, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment, driving while suspended, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, illegal possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. .
The murder charge alone carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
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Kramer’s mother, Chris, apologized in court Monday and said she felt “responsible for what happened” on the day Martin was killed, the Associated Press reported.
Sen. Cramer previously said his son “suffers from a severe mental disorder that causes severe paranoia and hallucinations.” He told reporters on Monday that while he praised police officers, courts and prisons, he was “somewhat disappointed that mental health issues are so casually ignored by both courts and prosecutors.” he said.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, RN.D., previously said his son suffers from serious mental health issues. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
The senator, who was re-elected to a second term in November, said everyone, including his son, “regardless of what it was, under what circumstances, it was a choice that goes back many years that led to this. “It was a choice,” he said. . ”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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