The son of Senator Kevin Cramer now faces homicide charges after a police pursuit ended in a crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy who was laying down a tire deflation device.
Ian Cramer initially faced a manslaughter charge related to the Dec. 6 death of Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin on a highway near Hazen.
A judge on Thursday approved new charges that amend that offense to homicide while fleeing a peace officer, and add drug charges.
The homicide charge says the death was caused negligently rather than recklessly, and brings higher maximum penalties than manslaughter – up to 20 years in prison and a possible $20,000 fine.
Cramer still faces counts of fleeing a police officer, preventing arrest and reckless endangerment. The drug charges include possession of methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He is charged with nine offenses, including four felonies.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Cramer’s public defender and the North Dakota State Attorney for comment.
Cramer, who is in jail, is set for a court appearance on Monday.
Authorities who searched the vehicle, impounded since the crash, say they found several grams of meth, cocaine and marijuana in a backpack, as well as baggies, rolled up dollar bills, smoking devices and lighters, as well as Arizona jail booking paperwork for Ian Cramer.
Cramer was driven by his mother to a hospital at around 4:30 p.m. on December 6 over concerns about his mental health, Bismarck police said.
When she got out of the SUV, Ian Cramer took the wheel and drove through a door to get out of the enclosed ambulance bay at the hospital’s emergency department.
Over an hour later, a deputy in neighboring Mercer County spotted Cramer and the Chevrolet Tahoe in Hazen, a community about 70 miles northwest of Bismarck.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol said in a news release that a chase began and the SUV crashed into a Mercer County sheriff’s vehicle that was parked along a state highway.
A deputy was standing behind the parked vehicle and preparing to deploy a tire deflation device to end the chase.
The impact of the crash pushed the parked vehicle into the deputy, killing him. He was identified Thursday as 53-year-old Paul Martin.
Ian Cramer was evaluated at a hospital and then jailed. The patrol said charges are pending.
‘We ask the public for prayers for the lost officer´s family and colleagues who serve us every day and are grateful for all they do for us,’ Kevin Cramer said in a statement.
The first-term Republican senator wrote that his son ‘suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.’
Earlier Wednesday, Ian Cramer insisted on ‘going to his brother Ike,’ who died in 2018, according the statement, which doesn´t further explain what that means.
The entrance is temporarily out of service, with a temporary entrance since set up. No one was injured, the hospital said.
Whitney Zeadow, 36, who lives near Hazen, said Martin was once her neighbor; she sometimes cared for the retired police dogs he kept when he was away from home.
‘He was just a fantastic man,’ Zeadow said, fighting back tears. ‘He was the type that would be your champion. He was just there to support the community, help the kids. Any little thing. He was just a joy to be around.’
Kevin Cramer was elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving three terms in the House. He has been a staunch advocate for law enforcement.
In his statement Wednesday, Cramer said that his family grieves with ‘the family of the hero who tried to help Ian,’ a reference to Martin.
In 2013, Ian Cramer was charged with misdemeanor simple assault for allegedly injuring his brother´s head; he pleaded guilty.
His record also includes several traffic citations during this and last year, some as recent as the day before the crash, for driving under suspension. Bismarck Police Lt. Luke Gardiner said the Tuesday citation has no connection to Wednesday´s events.
The Cramer family has endured tragedy before.
Isaac ‘Ike’ Cramer in 2007 began dating a woman who was the mother of an infant, Abel. Three years later, the woman was killed by her estranged husband. Kevin and Kris Cramer adopted the child, who is now a teenager. Cramer also has two daughters and six grandchildren, according to his Senate website.
In 2018, soon after Kevin Cramer announced his run for the Senate, Ike Cramer died from liver and kidney failure following a long battle with alcohol addiction. He was 35.
Kevin Cramer wrote on Facebook at the time that he and his wife were bedside when he ‘took his last breath on Earth. Now Isaac feels no anxiety or urging for alcohol. He feels no pain and will never be depressed again.’
Following Martin´s death, among those posting on the sheriff department´s Facebook page were those who said the deputy had taken them to jail. They described him as a friendly person and said he was always respectful.
Zeadow said Martin was among the officers who responded when she needed help.
‘And he made sure to keep my kids and I very safe,’ she said, adding, ‘It doesn´t seem real just yet, but it´s hitting.’
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