Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Eric Ottis was killed in an automobile crash while returning from the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center at approximately 11:40 am.
Officer Ottis was driving through an intersection when another driver, who didn't see the stop sign because it had been knocked down in a storm the previous day, entered the intersection and struck Officer Ottis's vehicle on the passenger side.
The driver of the other vehicle pleaded no contest to misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail, two years probation, and 100 hours of community service. He also was ordered not to drive for six months.
Officer Ottis had served with the Bennington Police Department for 18 months.
The driver of the other vehicle pleaded no contest to misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail, two years probation, and 100 hours of community service. He also was ordered not to drive for six months.
Survivors
He is survived by his son, daughter, father, two sisters, grandparents, and three nephews.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NE-DD80A471- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
You barely got started.
Police Officer Ottis gave the Bennington Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Bennington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Ottis.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Eric Lee Ottis is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NE, 36 of 151 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.8% of this state's fallen. That is 7.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Eric Lee Ottis's cause is highlighted.
How Eric Lee Ottis Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Eric Lee Ottis is highlighted in Feb.