MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is commending the South Dakota Supreme Court for unanimously affirming the conviction of a Sturgis man sentenced to 65 years in prison for multiple felony crimes against children.

The ruling upholds the conviction of Lance Lowell Long, who was sentenced in July 2024 after a Corson County jury found him guilty on 11 felony counts involving five different children. The charges included one count of second-degree rape, one count of third-degree rape, one count of fourth-degree rape, three counts of aggravated assault, and five counts of abuse of or cruelty to a minor.

“These victims remain in our thoughts and prayers,” Jackley said in a statement. “Thank you to the Attorney General Office staff who investigated and prosecuted this case.”

According to court records, each victim testified during the trial, and prosecutors presented evidence detailing six separate instances of abuse. Long had previously served prison time for similar child abuse crimes committed in Minnehaha County.

Long appealed the conviction, arguing that the circuit court improperly allowed evidence of prior similar acts and wrongly denied his motion for judgment of acquittal on the second-degree rape charge. The South Dakota Supreme Court rejected both arguments and affirmed the lower court’s decisions.

The Attorney General’s Office handled both the original investigation and prosecution, as well as the appeal before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court’s full opinion is available online.