The adult son of North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer pleaded guilty Friday to all charges stemming from a high-speed car chase that left a sheriff's deputy dead late last year.
Ian Kramer, 43, is charged with murder, fleeing a police officer and multiple drug charges in connection with a head-on collision that led to the death of Mercer County Sheriff's Deputy Paul Martin, 53, on Dec. 6, 2023.
The murder charge alone carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors did not agree to a reduced sentence recommendation. Plea bargain.
The judge ordered Kramer to undergo a psychiatric and substance abuse evaluation before sentencing.
Cramer, who is up for re-election in November, said his son “suffers from a serious mental disorder involving severe paranoia and hallucinations.”
“We are especially grieving for the family of the hero who tried to save Ian and we pray to a gracious God to help them, as he always does in times of tragedy,” the senator said in a statement the night of his son's arrest.
“I ask the public to pray for the family of the officer who fell and for our colleagues who serve us every day and thank them for all they do for us,” he added.
“We also pray to God for healing for Ian. We love him and are hurting deeply.”
Authorities said the deadly pursuit began when Ian Kramer stole his mother's 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe after she sought to have him hospitalized in Bismarck out of concern for his mental state.
Police pursued him about 70 miles from the hospital, but he fled, leading police on a pursuit at speeds of more than 100 mph.
Authorities say he managed to keep going after police punctured two tires on his vehicle with spike strips.
Authorities said Kramer swerved to avoid another nail and crashed into Martin's patrol vehicle, killing a sheriff's deputy who was standing outside the vehicle.
After the crash, police found a backpack in the crashed vehicle containing methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Authorities said Martin was an 18-year employee of the Mercer County Sheriff's Office and was married with three children.
In March, Kramer pleaded not guilty to separate felony charges of theft, criminal vandalism and reckless endangerment in connection with the theft of a motor vehicle at Bismarck Hospital.
He has been held in Washburn Corrections Center on $500,000 bail since the incident.
In 2013, Kramer was charged with misdemeanor simple assault for hitting his brother in the head.
He pleaded guilty and received a 10-day suspended jail sentence, one year of probation and was ordered to pay a $150 fine.
Earlier that year, Kramer pleaded guilty to making a false report to police and possession of a controlled substance.
He was given no jail time and ordered to pay a $300 fine.
The Washington Post has reached out to Senator Cramer's office for comment.
