North Dakota US Sen. Kevin Cramer’s son pleads guilty in car-chase death of a deputy

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The adult son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer pleaded guilty on Friday to all the charges he faced in connection with a car-chase crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy.

Ian Cramer, 43, changed his plea in the Dec. 6, 2023, death of Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53. The charges included homicide while fleeing peace officer, fleeing a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, driving under suspension, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

The judge ordered a mental and substance abuse evaluation ahead of his sentencing. The prosecution did not agree in advance to recommend a lower sentence as part of the plea deal. The homicide offense alone is punishable in North Dakota by up to 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

Kevin Cramer, a Republican who is running for a second Senate term, has said his son “suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”