Ian Cramer to change plea in crash that killed Mercer County deputy

WASHBURN, N.D. (KVRR) – A change of plea hearing has been scheduled Friday for Ian Cramer.

The 43-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer is facing homicide charges in connection with a Dec. 6 crash that killed a Mercer County sheriff’s deputy.

According to court documents, the hearing is scheduled for Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Cramer previously pleaded not guilty plea to felony charges of homicide while fleeing a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment and fleeing an officer, as well as three misdemeanor drug charges and other low-level offenses of driving under suspension and marijuana possession.

Investigators have said Ian Cramer’s mother was driving him to the police department to deal with a traffic citation when she became concerned enough about his “actions and comments” to take him to an emergency room.

After she got out of the vehicle, he got into the driver’s seat and backed the vehicle through the ambulance bay’s garage door at high speed.

When spotted later in Hazen, Cramer fled, hitting speeds of 100 mph. Cramer swerved and crashed head-on into Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin’s squad car, launching him about 100 feet and killing him.

Sen. Cramer has said his son “suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”