son U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, RN.D. He will spend decades in prison after being convicted of killing a sheriff's deputy in a crash while fleeing law enforcement.
Ian Kramer, 43, will serve 28 years in prison for the Dec. 6, 2023, death of 53-year-old Mercer County Sheriff's Deputy Paul Martin.
State District Judge Bobby Wheeler sentenced Kramer to 38 years in prison with 10 years suspended, three years of probation and credit for time served. She said he probably won't serve the entire sentence because those are not mandatory minimums, according to the Associated Press.
“These are not mandatory minimums, which means you'll probably serve a small portion of those 28 years and you'll get parole, so this will…give you an opportunity to have a second chance that Deputy Martin does,” Feiler said. his family,” adding that he is seeking treatment for addiction and mental health.
Ian Cramer, the son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R.N.D., will serve 28 years in prison for killing Mercer County Sheriff's Deputy Paul Martin during a hit-and-run crash while fleeing law enforcement in December 2023. (AP Photo/Jack Dora)
Mercer County State's Attorney Todd Schwartz said Kramer admitted to using methamphetamine and bath salts on the day of the incident, and was suffering from long-term effects of “using drugs to put himself in a state of mental illness.”
On the day of the accident, Kramer's mother was taking him to a hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, due to mental health concerns. When she got out of the car, he slid into the driver's seat and drove off, smashing through a locked door in the hospital ambulance bay.
Deputies confronted him in Hazen, about 70 miles from Bismarck, but Kramer continued driving, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph. Law enforcement deployed The spiked devices flattened two tires but didn't stop him.
The accident occurred when Kramer swerved to avoid more spikes and collided head-on with Martin's patrol vehicle. The deputy was declared dead at the hospital.
Mercer County Sheriff's Deputy Paul Martin, 53, died after being struck by Ian Kramer, who was fleeing from law enforcement. (Mercer County Sheriff's Office)
Kramer initially pleaded not guilty before The charges against him in April, but changed his plea to guilty in September.
Charges included murder while fleeing a police officer, fleeing a police officer, withholding arrest, reckless endangerment, driving under suspension, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
the Murder charge It alone carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
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Kramer's mother, Chris, apologized in court Monday and said she felt “responsible for what happened” the day Martin was killed, the AP reported.
Senator Cramer had previously said that his son “suffers from serious mental disorders manifested by paranoia and severe hallucinations.” He told reporters Monday that while he praises the officers, the court and the jail, he is “somewhat disappointed that mental health has been so casually ignored by the court and the prosecutor.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R.N.D., previously said his son has serious mental health issues. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Senator who was He was re-elected to a second term in November He said that everyone, including his son, realizes that “his choices led to this, whatever they were, and under any circumstances, choices that go back many years.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
