North Dakota senator's son faces homicide charge after car chase led to death of sheriff's deputy

WASHINGTON - A judge on Thursday approved new charges against Ian Cramer, the son of Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who was accused of leading police in a car chase on Dec. 6 that led to the death of North Dakota sheriff’s deputy Paul Martin.

While Ian Cramer had initially faced a manslaughter charge, the judge upgraded that offense to a homicide charge which says that the death was caused negligently instead of recklessly, according to the Associated Press. 

The maximum penalty for a homicide charge conviction is a $20,000 fine and up to 20 years in prison.

Ian Cramer is also charged with fleeing a police officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment and possession of drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to the AP. 

The incident occurred while Sen. Cramer’s wife and son were at a Bismarck emergency room. His wife stepped out of their vehicle and “Ian jumped into the driver’s seat and fled.” 

After authorities located Ian Cramer’s car 75 miles away from North Dakota’s capital, they say he fled again leading the local police to a car chase. During the chase, Cramer allegedly veered into an unoccupied patrol vehicle hitting and killing Martin who was standing behind it.

In a statement last week, Sen. Cramer said that his son “suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucination.”

Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, Associated Press