Following the collision that claimed the life of a sheriff’s officer, Ian Cramer is being charged again

Bismarck, North Dakota – Further charges are being brought against the 42-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer about the pursuit and collision that claimed the life of a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy earlier this month.

In addition to being charged with theft, criminal mischief, and reckless endangerment, Ian Cramer, who is currently incarcerated, is accused of stealing a family car and ramming it through the ambulance bay’s closed garage door at a Bismarck hospital. On Tuesday, more charges were brought.

About the pursuit and crash on December 6, he was previously charged in Mercer County with homicide, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, and narcotics possession, among other counts. Cramer is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on those allegations on February 7. A state district court judge set a $500,000 cash bond on the accusations.

A phone message requesting an explanation regarding the new charges was not immediately answered by Cramer’s lawyer. He hasn’t yet entered any requests.

According to charging documents, Ian Cramer’s mother was driving him to the police station for a traffic violation when she decided to take him to the hospital room due to his “actions and comments becoming concerning enough.” According to court filings, he climbed into the driver’s seat after she got out of the car and quickly reversed the Chevrolet Tahoe through the garage door of the ambulance bay.

Later on, he allegedly ran away from deputies after they discovered him near Hazen, which is roughly 110 kilometers (70 miles) northwest of Bismarck.

According to court documents, Cramer reached speeds of up to 100 mph (160 kph) and continued driving even after two tires were flattened with a spiked device. He veered and smashed head-on into Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin’s patrol car after setting up more spikes, sending him flying roughly 100 feet (30 meters) and killing him, according to the authorities.

Sen. Cramer said in a statement earlier this month that his son has “serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”