Ian Cramer: Sen Kevin Cramer's son pleads not guilty to killing sheriff's deputy in car chase
WASHBURN, NORTH DAKOTA: Sen Kevin Cramer's son entered a not guilty plea on Wednesday, April 17 to charges of homicide and other offenses related to the crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff's deputy on December 6.
In addition to three misdemeanor drug charges, possession of marijuana, driving under suspension, and other low-level offenses, 43-year-old Ian Cramer waived his preliminary hearing and entered a not-guilty plea to felony charges of homicide while evading a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, and fleeing an officer.
Ian Cramer was initially charged with manslaughter
A jury trial is scheduled for July. Cramer was initially charged with manslaughter, but that charge was later changed to homicide.
The brief court appearance of Ian Cramer lasted only a few minutes. State District Judge Bobbi Weiler asked him procedural questions, to which he replied both yes and no, as per ABC news report.
After the hearing, he had a quick conversation with his public defender outside the courtroom before getting into an elevator with two sheriff's deputies.
According to the Bismarck police, Ian Cramer's mother had brought him to the hospital due to possible mental health issues. As per the court records, after his mother got out of the car, he crawled into the driver's seat and drove through the closed garage door of the hospital's ambulance bay.
He later escaped from deputies after one confronted him in Hazen, roughly 70 miles (113 kilometers) from Bismarck, according to court documents.
Ian Cramer entered a not-guilty plea in March
According to court documents, Cramer reached speeds of over 100 mph (160 kph) and continued driving even after two tires were flattened by a spiked object.
Further spikes were deployed, and according to authorities, Cramer swerved before crashing head-on into Mercer County Sheriff's Deputy Paul Martin's patrol vehicle, launching him approximately thirty meters (or one hundred feet) into the air.
Martin,53, was declared deceased at a nearby hospital. Regarding the incidents at the hospital, Ian Cramer entered a not-guilty plea in March to three distinct felony counts of theft, criminal mischief, and reckless endangerment.
According to Senator Cramer, his son "suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe hallucinations and paranoia." In relation to the two cases, Cramer was scheduled for a criminal responsibility evaluation at the Jamestown State Hospital in March.
His bail of $500,000 in cash is keeping him detained at the McLean County Jail in Washburn.
Netizens expressed views on the incident
After Daily Mail reported about the incident, netizens shared their views in the comments section. A user wrote, "42 years old and still out of control. it is time to end this farce as it is obviously too late to turn this person into a useful law-abiding citizen. be it through being coddled as a child, too much access as an adult, a lack of accountability, etc ... it is time for him to be held accountable and sent onwards. let this be his final victim."
Another user added, "He should have been killed not the police officer. I hope he goes to jail for life. My condolences to the family, friends and coworkers of this police officer."
One commentator remarked, "We need to lock up mental patients, not put them on the streets or in office."
"As a North Dakota resident, I am very sorry he did not plead guilty in order to save the family the pain of reliving this tragedy through the court. He would also have saved the state the time and money for the trial. Being under the influence is no defense," concluded another person.
