STANTON, N.D. (AP) – The grown son of North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer was sentenced Monday to 28 years in prison for a wild chase in which he fled a hospital and crashed into a deputy’s vehicle, killing the deputy.
Ian Cramer, 43, pleaded guilty in September to all charges against him, including murder while fleeing from a peace officer, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment, fleeing an officer and drug and driving offenses. Those charges related to the Dec. 6, 2023, chase and crash that killed Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53.
State District Judge Bobbi Weiler imposed a sentence of 38 years with 10 years suspended, three years probation and credit for more than a year served in jail. She also included recommended addiction and mental health treatment. But he probably won’t serve the full 28 years, the judge said.
Trusted news and daily delights, straight to your inbox
See for yourself — Yodel is your source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.
“The state Department of Corrections has its own policy on how much time you serve,” Weiler said. “These are non-mandatory minimums, which means you’ll probably serve a small portion of those 28 years and be paroled, so it will … give you an opportunity to have a second chance that Deputy Martin doesn’t have, and neither does his family. ”
Cramer, who wore orange and sat calmly next to his public defender, apologized to Martin’s family when asked if he would like to speak.
“I had no intention of doing any of this. It was an accident and I just hope that one day they can forgive me, and I think the best thing for me is to go to the hospital and get more help,” said Ian Cramer.
Much of the sentence focused on Cramer’s addiction and mental health. Mercer County State’s Attorney Todd Schwarz, citing doctors, said Ian Cramer suffered the long-term effects of “taking drugs to put himself in a mentally ill state.”
Cramer admitted to using methamphetamine and bath salts the day of the crash, Schwarz said.
Cramer’s mother, Kris Cramer, read a statement in which she said her son had “injured his brain a lot” and was dealing with mental illness. She apologized and said, “I really feel responsible for what happened on December 6 (2023).”
Bismarck police said they took him to the hospital for mental health concerns. Court documents say he crawled into the driver’s seat of his parents’ vehicle after his mother got out and reversed through the closed garage door of the hospital emergency room. He later ran from deputies when one confronted him in Hazen, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) from Bismarck, authorities said.
According to court documents, Cramer reached speeds of over 100 mph and kept going even after the spiked device flattened two of his tires. More spikes were placed, and Cramer swerved, then crashed head-on into Martin’s patrol car, launching it about 100 feet, authorities said. Martin was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Schwartz said Martin was loved by his colleagues and will be remembered for his kind nature, which showed in his regular appointments with a young girl who had a troubled father and a fear of police officers. A week before the accident, Martin shared his retirement plans with Schwarz, who had known him since the 1990s.
Cramer pleaded not guilty to murder in April. He was initially charged with manslaughter, which was later changed to murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He is being held at the McLean County Jail in Washburn on $500,000 bond.
All of the crimes he pleaded guilty to carry a maximum sentence of just over 38 years in prison, according to the prosecutor’s sentencing filing earlier in December.
In March, Ian Cramer pleaded not guilty to separate charges of theft, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment in connection with the events at Bismarck Hospital. A jury trial is scheduled for January.
Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican, said his son “suffers from a serious mental disorder that manifests itself in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”
The senator told reporters that his family praised the officers, the court and the prison, but said he was “a little disappointed that mental health is being so casually dismissed by both the court and the prosecutor.”
“But I don’t think there’s any doubt that there’s not a single person, including Ian, who doesn’t know that it was his choices that led to this, whatever they were, under whatever conditions, choices that go back many years,” he said. Kevin Cramer, who was successfully re-elected for a second term in November.
