The son of a Republican senator was sentenced Monday to nearly three decades in prison for the death of a sheriff’s deputy during a high-speed chase last December.
Ian Cramer, 43, the son of North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer, was behind the wheel of his parents’ SUV when he crashed into the deputy’s patrol vehicle Dec. 6, 2023, according to news reports.
Mercer County Deputy Paul Martin, 53, was setting up stop sticks to halt Cramer’s flight. He was struck by the patrol vehicle and later pronounced dead.
Ian Cramer had fled in the vehicle from a hospital ambulance bay after his mother took him to the emergency room for treatment of hallucinations, according to the New York Post.
“Court documents say he crawled into the driver seat of his parents’ vehicle after his mother got out and smashed in reverse through the closed garage door of the hospital’s ambulance bay,” The Associated Press reported.
That set off a chase where Cramer hit speeds of more than 100 mph, according to the AP, and didn’t stop even after two tires had been flatted by law enforcement devices.
He was swerving to avoid more devices when he hit Martin’s vehicle,