Senator's son appears in court on new homicide charge from crash that killed North Dakota deputy

Senator’s son appears in court on new homicide charge from crash that killed North Dakota deputy

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This undated photo provided by the Mercer County, N.D., Sheriff’s Office shows Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin with his retired K9 Goliath, who died in 2019. Martin, 53, died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in a crash involving Ian Cramer, the 42-year-old son of Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. (Mercer County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

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This booking photo provided by the McLean County, N.D., Sheriff’s Office shows Ian Cramer. The 42-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer crashed into a North Dakota sheriff’s vehicle during a police chase, pushing it into a deputy and killing him, according to authorities and the Republican senator’s family. Ian Cramer, of Bismarck, N.D., was arrested and jailed following the crash Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, and charges are pending, the North Dakota Highway Patrol said in a news release. (McLean County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

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In this frame grab from video, Ian Cramer, middle left, makes his initial court appearance via a video link from from the McLean County jail in Washburn, N.D., Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. At top right is Mercer County State’s Attorney Todd Schwarz, and at bottom right is South Central District Judge Bobbi Weiler. (Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune via AP)

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FILE - Sen Kevin Cramer, R-ND, speaks during a hearing, May 20, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. A North Dakota sheriff’s deputy was killed when a stolen SUV driven by the son of Sen. Cramer crashed during a police pursuit and struck a sheriff’s vehicle, pushing it into the deputy, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol and a statement from Cramer.(Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP, File)

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This photo shows where the main entrance of the Sanford Health Emergency Department’s vehicle and ambulance garage sustained damage Wednesday in connection with Ian Cramer driving away from the hospital in Bismarck, N.D., Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Cramer, the son of Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, is in jail after allegedly crashing into a Mercer County sheriff’s vehicle near Hazen and killing Deputy Paul Martin, 53. No one was injured at the hospital, according to Sanford Health Bismarck. (AP Photo/Jack Dura)

By JACK DURA

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The 42-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer appeared in court Monday on a new homicide charge in connection with the crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy.

State District Court Judge Bobbi Weiler did not change the $500,000 cash bond she set for him earlier this month. Ian Cramer, who is in jail, is set for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 7. His attorney said he is gathering information for a mental health evaluation.

Last week the judge approved new charges that upgraded Cramer’s initial manslaughter count to homicide while fleeing a peace officer in connection with the Dec. 6 death of Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin.

Cramer faces nine charges, including reckless endangerment and preventing arrest, related to the pursuit and crash.

The senator said in a statement that his son has “serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.” Ian Cramer’s mother had driven him to a Bismarck hospital over concerns about his mental health, police said. When she got out of the family’s SUV, her son took the wheel and crashed through a door to get out of an enclosed ambulance bay.

Authorities say he then fled from deputies who spotted him in Hazen, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of Bismarck.

Cramer hit speeds of 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 squad car, launching him about 100 feet (30 meters), authorities said.