State Pen Inmate Convicted of Child Sex Abuse Dies
SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Officials say a 60-year-old Oregon State Penitentiary inmate sentenced to 130 years for sex abuse crimes died last week.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Michael Epperson died at Salem Hospital Friday after entering the Salem prison in April. Epperson is the 10th inmate housed at the Oregon State Penitentiary to have died in 2019.
Corrections department spokeswoman Betty Bernt says the department doesn’t yet know the circumstances of Epperson’s death and Oregon State Police is investigating.
Prosecutors said in court documents that Epperson repeatedly sexually assaulted three girls from 2005 to 2009.
It’s the 23rd inmate death announced by the state corrections department this year.
—
Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
