North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer’s adult son was sentenced Monday to 28 years behind bars over a high-speed car chase last year that led to a fatal accident and death of a sheriff’s deputy.
Ian Cramer, 43, was originally charged last December and pleaded guilty in September to charges of manslaughter, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, homicide while fleeing a peace officer as well as drug- and driving-related offenses.
During sentencing, State District Judge Bobbi Weiler caveated that the younger Cramer likely won’t be forced to serve out the full prison term.
The fatal chase took place on Dec. 6, 2023, and resulted in the death of Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53, who had been setting up a tire deflation device before getting struck by his own car after Ian Cramer allegedly rammed into it.
Sen. Cramer previously explained that his son “suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”
During the night of that fatal crash, Ian Cramer had commandeered his parents’ SUV after his mother Kris had taken him to an emergency room in response to hallucinations over his deceased brother Ike.
His sister managed to track the stolen vehicle and inform authorities, which prompted the chase, during which Ian Cramer had gotten up to speeds of 100 mph, according to court documents.
Martin, the slain officer, was a father of three and an 18-year veteran of the Mercer County Sheriff’s office.
The North Dakota Republican previously conveyed his condolences to the “hero” who tried to help his son during the episode.
In addition to the 28-year sentence, the judge also recommended addiction treatment
“The (state) Department of Corrections has their own policy on how much time you’re going to serve,” Weiler explained, per the Associated Press.
“These are not mandatory minimums, which means that you’re probably going to serve a small portion of that 28 years and be out on parole, so that’ll … give you an opportunity to have a second chance that Deputy Martin does not have, nor does his family have.”
Ian Cramer apologized to Martin’s family for his actions and admitted that the long-term effects of drugs put him “into a mentally-ill state.” He also fessed up to using methamphetamine and bath salts on the day of the crash.
“I had no intention to do any of this. It was an accident, and I just hope that someday they can forgive me, and I think the best thing for me is to go to a hospital and just get more help,” he said, per AP.
Sen. Cramer, who won re-election to another six-year term in the US Senate in November, sounded somewhat displeased with the lengthy sentencing given the extenuating mental health factors.
“I don’t think there’s any question there’s not one person, including Ian, who doesn’t know that they were his choices that led to this, whatever they may be, under whatever condition, choices that go back many years,” the senator told reporters according to the AP.
Ian Cramer has a history of run-ins with the law. In 2013, he faced a misdemeanor simple assault charge for allegedly knocking his brother over the head and served a 10-day suspended prison sentence as a result.
That same year, the younger Cramer had also pleaded guilty to making a false report to law enforcement and possession of a controlled substance.
