Senator's son pleads guilty in fatal crash | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Senator's son pleads guilty in fatal car crash

BISMARCK, N.D. — The adult son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer pleaded guilty Friday to all charges brought against him in connection with a crash during a chase that left a North Dakota sheriff's deputy dead.

Ian Cramer, 43, changed his plea in connection with the Dec. 6, 2023, death of 53-year-old Mercer County Sheriff's Deputy Paul Martin. The charges included manslaughter while fleeing a police officer, evading an officer, evading apprehension, reckless endangerment, driving while license suspended, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

The judge ordered an evaluation of his mental capacity and substance abuse before sentencing. The prosecution had not previously agreed to recommend a lesser sentence as part of the plea deal. The murder alone can be punished in North Dakota with up to 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

Neither Cramer's attorney nor staff in his father's Senate office immediately responded to phone or email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. A woman who answered the phone at the district attorney's office said the prosecutor had no comment.

Storm overturns vehicles and claims one life in Oklahoma

PAWNEE, Oklahoma – A powerful storm moved through parts of Oklahoma, knocking over several recreational vehicles and downing trees and power lines, authorities said. One death was reported.

Investigators planned to go to the area Friday afternoon, but there was no radar evidence that Thursday night's storm was a tornado, said meteorologist Pete Snyder of the National Weather Service in Tulsa.

Early Friday, the city of Pawnee said power was still out in several areas.

The city had previously stated that there was significant damage and several streets were closed.

The weather service reported wind gusts of up to 72 miles per hour and hailstones the size of golf balls, Snyder said.

One person died in an overturned mobile home, Pawnee County Sheriff Darrin Varnell said. He said others were damaged and people “lost virtually everything they owned in a matter of seconds.”

Pawnee public schools and the public library were closed Friday due to storm damage.

4 defendants sentenced to prison terms in the Capitol

WASHINGTON – Four men who were among the first rioters to attack police officers and breach a security perimeter during the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were sentenced to prison on Thursday.

Stephen Randolph, 34, of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, was sentenced to eight years in prison. James Grant, 31, of Cary, North Carolina, was sentenced to three years. Jason Blythe, 29, of Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced to two and a half years.

Paul Johnson, 39, of Lanexa, Virginia, was sentenced to one year of weekend detention followed by two years of house arrest.

They were all convicted of serious crimes for their roles in the siege. A fifth co-defendant, Ryan Samsel, will be sentenced on a date to be determined.

The five men did not know each other before they met at a traffic circle outside the Capitol, but prosecutors say they led the initial attack on police officers guarding the Capitol against a crowd of Donald Trump supporters.

At Peace Circle, the co-defendants lifted two metal bike racks into the air and rode them into a police line, striking Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards in the face. Edwards slammed her head into a metal railing, knocking her unconscious and suffering a concussion.

Randolph then jumped the barrier, grabbed Capitol Police Officer David Cruz and pulled him toward the crowd before another officer intervened. The co-defendants' conduct was not limited to the first offense.

Head of New York Asylum Office summoned

NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed the director of New York City's Office of Asylum Seeker Operations, the latest sign that Mayor Eric Adams' administration is coming under increasing scrutiny.

Molly Schaeffer, who coordinates the city's efforts to secure housing and social services for newly arrived migrants, received the federal request for information sharing on Friday morning, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the subpoena.

It was not immediately clear what information federal authorities were seeking or whether the subpoena related to several ongoing federal investigations related to Adams, a first-term Democrat and former police captain.

Schaeffer referred questions to the deputy mayor for communications, Fabien Levy, who declined to comment on the investigation.

“We expect all team members to fully comply with any ongoing investigation,” Levy wrote in a text message.

Schaeffer was not accused of wrongdoing.