Eric Opperman is escorted into the courtroom alongside Davison County Sheriff Steve Harr on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at the Davison County Public Safety Building in Mitchell. (Luke Hagen / Mitchell Republic)
MITCHELL — A case described in court as “horrendous and atrocious” and one of the most sickening a prosecutor had handled ended Friday with an 85-year prison sentence for a Mitchell man.
Eric Opperman, 49, was sentenced to 85 years in prison on each of two counts of first-degree rape involving children under age 13. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve 85 years total. He was given credit for 564 days already served and fined $2,000 on each count.
Opperman is not eligible for parole on one of the two counts, making the 85-year sentence effectively a life sentence.
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