(LibertySons.org) – Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued a statement on Wednesday, December 6, saying that his son, Ian, 42, had become involved in a police chase and crash earlier that evening that killed a career sheriff’s deputy. The lawmaker said he and his family “grieve especially for the family of the hero who tried to help Ian,” and they asked the public to join them in praying for the officer and the law enforcement community.
According to the statement and other reports, Ian Cramer suffered from “mental issues” that the senator described as manifesting as hallucinations and severe paranoia. The family had previously sought treatment for him with a provider at Sanford Health in Bismarck. So when Ian insisted on going to visit Ike Cramer, who died in 2018 of kidney and liver failure as a result of severe alcoholism, the senator’s wife, Kris Cramer, attempted to transport Ian to Sanford Health.
After arriving at Sanford Health Emergency Bay, the senator’s wife exited the vehicle to obtain help. However, Ian Cramer slid into the driver’s seat, rammed the SUV, a 2017 Chevy Tahoe, into the ambulance bay doors, and fled. Because Kris Cramer had left her phone in the vehicle, one of her daughters was able to track it and notify police of her brother’s whereabouts in Mercer County, North Dakota.
Cramer fled from officers after they found him in Hazen, heading west on Highway 200 at speeds sometimes exceeding 100 miles per hour. Mercer County Deputy Paul Martin and Beulah Police Chief Frank Senn placed tire-deflation strips on the highway about 4 miles west of Hazen to stop Cramer.
Cramer rammed the deputy’s vehicle at full speed. Martin had taken cover behind his squad car. The impact knocked the deputy back 100 feet into a ditch. Medical personnel at Hazen’s Sakakawea Medical Center declared the lawman dead.
Senn claimed Cramer continued to resist arrest after the crash. Authorities also claim they found Cramer possessed meth, cocaine, and various paraphernalia. Todd Schwartz, the Mercer County State’s Attorney, called the incident an “extremely serious situation,” according to the Grand Forks Herald. He also called Cramer a “multi-state offender,” noting that Houston, Texas, had also issued an arrest warrant for assault.
Judge Bobbi Weiler set bond for Cramer at $500,000 and appointed him a lawyer on Friday, December 8. She also suggested that a family member should petition the court for a mental health hold to speed up a mental health evaluation she ordered and provide Cramer with treatment while he awaits trial. The Sheriff’s Office announced it will hold Deputy Martin’s funeral service at 1 p.m. on December 13 at Beulah High School. Martin was an 18-year veteran of the department.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
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