Kevin Cramer’s son sentenced to 28 years over chase, fatal car crash

The son of North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer (R) was sentenced Monday to 28 years in prison over a police chase and death of a local sheriff’s deputy.

Ian Cramer, 43, was charged with manslaughter last December after he crashed his family’s SUV into a police cruiser, concluding an hourlong chase. He killed the sheriff’s deputy standing behind the vehicle.

Ian Cramer pleaded guilty in September to homicide while fleeing a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, fleeing an officer and drug-and driving-related offenses, The Associated Press reported.

Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53, died in the incident on Dec. 6, 2023.

District Judge Bobbi Weiler sentenced Ian Cramer to 38 years in prison with 10 years suspended, three years of probation and credit since he served more than a year in jail, the AP reported.

Ian Cramer was also recommended to receive treatment for addiction and mental health. He likely will not serve the full 28-year sentence, Weiler said.

Weiler said the state’s Department of Corrections has its own policy about how much time Ian Cramer will serve.

“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,” she said.

Ian Cramer said he had no intention of killing Martin and apologized to his family. He said it was best for him to seek treatment in a hospital, the AP said.

Martin was outside his patrol car, attempting to deploy a tire deflation device to end the pursuit of Ian Cramer when he was killed.

Kevin Cramer, who has served North Dakota in the Senate since 2019, said last year his son was suffering from mental health issues that cause him to experience paranoia and hallucinations.

The senator said his wife, Kris, had taken their son to the emergency room after he was insisting to see his brother, Ike, who died in 2018. When Kris Cramer stepped out of the vehicle, Ian Cramer jumped into the driver’s seat and fled.

The sentencing focused on Ian Cramer’s addiction and his mental health issues. He admitted to using methamphetamine and bath salts the day of the crash, the county attorney said.