The son of Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., was sentenced to 28 years in prison Monday in connection with a high-speed car chase that ended with a crash that killed a sheriff’s deputy last year.

Ian Cramer, 43, led police on a highway pursuit Dec. 6, 2023, after speeding away from a hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, where his mother had tried to take him that day because he was experiencing a mental health crisis, authorities said.

Authorities were able to locate Cramer in Hazen, North Dakota, roughly 70 miles away in Mercer County and pursued him for about 5 miles until he crashed into an unoccupied sheriff’s patrol car that was parked on the side of a highway. The impact killed Paul Martin, 53, a Mercer County sheriff’s deputy who was standing behind the car when it was struck.

Cramer pleaded guilty to all nine counts against him in September, including homicide while fleeing a peace officer, fleeing arrest; reckless endangerment and other drug- and driving-related offenses.

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After the arrest, Kevin Cramer issued a statement saying that his son had suffered from “serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”

In handing down the sentence, Judge Bobbi Weiler of the South Central Judicial District of North Dakota told Ian Cramer that he had ample support to get help. “You had resources, more resources than 99% of the people that I’ve seen,” she said, according to footage of the sentencing published by The Bismarck Tribune.

Weiler sentenced Cramer to 38 years with 10 years suspended, three years of probation and credit for more than a year served in jail. The Associated Press reported that Weiler said that Cramer was unlikely to serve all 28 years because there are no mandatory minimums for the charges, and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has its own policy on how much time he’ll serve.

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Cramer Apologized to Martin Family

The AP reported that Cramer apologized to the Martin family in a statement at his sentencing.

“I had no intention to do any of this,” Cramer said. “It was an accident, and I just hope that someday they can forgive me, and I think the best thing for me is to go to a hospital and just get more help.”

Kevin McCabe, the public defender who is representing Cramer, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.

The AP reported that Kris Cramer, Ian Cramer’s mother, also gave a statement at the sentencing, apologizing and saying her son “has hurt his brain a lot on his own” and was dealing with a mental illness. “I really do feel responsible for what happened,” she said.

Todd A. Schwarz, Mercer County’s state’s attorney, whose office handled the case, also did not respond to requests for comment.

Kevin Cramer did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

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According to the senator’s 2023 statement, Kris Cramer drove their son to an emergency room in Bismarck because he was experiencing a mental health crisis. When they arrived at the hospital, Ian Cramer jumped into the driver’s seat of the car and fled the hospital.

Authorities were able to locate him and the vehicle, a black 2017 Chevrolet SUV, in Hazen because his mother’s phone had been left inside and its location was being tracked by his sister, according to the senator.

The AP reported that Cramer had hit speeds of over 100 mph, and that law enforcement had deployed spike strips that flattened his tires, but Cramer kept driving.

He crashed head-on into the patrol vehicle, and the impact pushed the patrol car into Martin, killing him, authorities said. The North Dakota Highway Patrol said that Martin, who had worked at the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office for 18 years, was struck while preparing to deploy a “tire deflation device” to stop Cramer.

The Bismarck Tribune reported that Cramer had been in custody in the McLean County Jail since his arrest last year. He will receive credit for time already served, Weiler said at the sentencing.

Weiler also recommended treatment for his addiction and mental health struggles, according to the AP.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Alexandra E. Petri
c. 2024 The New York Times Company