Senator's son to appear in court to change plea in North Dakota deputy's crash death

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The adult son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer is scheduled to change his plea on Friday in connection with a fatal crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff's deputy last year.

Ian Cramer, 43, was charged with homicide while fleeing a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, fleeing an officer and drug- and driving-related offenses in the wake of the Dec. 6, 2023, pursuit and crash that killed Mercer County Sheriff's Deputy Paul Martin, 53.

Cramer was initially charged with manslaughter, later upgraded to the homicide offense, which is punishable up to 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. In April, Cramer pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A notice filed Wednesday indicated his change of plea, but court filings didn't provide details.

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

Before the crash last December, Bismarck police said Ian Cramer’s mother had taken him to a hospital because of mental health concerns. Court documents say he crawled into the driver's seat of his parents’ vehicle after his mother got out and then drove the vehicle in reverse, smashing through a closed garage door to the hospital’s ambulance bay. He later fled from deputies when one confronted him in Hazen, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) from Bismarck, according to court documents.

Cramer hit speeds over 100 mph (160 kph) and kept going even after a spiked device flattened two tires, according to court documents. More spikes were set up, and Cramer swerved and then crashed head-on into Martin’s patrol vehicle and launched him about 100 feet (30 meters), authorities said. Martin was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

In March, Ian Cramer pleaded not guilty to separate felony charges of theft, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment in connection with the events at the hospital. A jury trial was scheduled for November.

Cramer is being held at the McLean County Jail in Washburn on $500,000 cash bail.