A North Dakota judge on Friday set bond at $500,000 cash for Ian Cramer, the Bismarck man accused of manslaughter and other charges in the Wednesday death of a Mercer County deputy.
The 42-year-old son of U-S Senator Kevin Cramer is charged in the death of 53-year-old Deputy Paul Martin of Beulah, after a high speed chase.
Ian Cramer was said to be having a mental health issue when he fled a Bismarck hospital in the family’s SUV. The pursuit ended near Hazen, where Cramer crashed into a parked Sheriff’s vehicle, which then hit and killed Martin.
In asking for the cash bond, Mercer County State’s Attorney Todd Schwarz told Judge Bobbi Weiler that there are multiple charges from the incident – including new drug charges that will be filed. And Schwarz said Cramer has faced charges in Texas and Montana.
Schwarz also recommended that Cramer undergo a mental health evaluation, which Judge Weiler ordered.
Cramer did not enter a plea. That will happen at a later hearing. He appeared in court remotely via videoconference from a jail in a neighboring county.
Cramer also faces charges of fleeing, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment and driving under suspension.
Martin’s funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Beulah.
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(KNOX / ND PPR / AP)