Four US men charged with raping 9-year-old Utah child
los angeles — Four men have been accused in Utah of raping a nine-year- old child while her mother smoked methamphetamine, in a case that has prompted a furious outcry and appeals for calm.
According to a statement by the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office, the rape took place on March 27 as the mother was visiting friends in the town of Vernal, east of Salt Lake City, and went to the garage to smoke drugs while her daughter slept on a couch.
“During that time, the child was taken into another room in the home where she was raped by the four men,” the sheriff ’s office said in a statement.
The men, who were living temporarily at the house, were later ar- rested and charged with rape and sodomy. They made their initial appearance in court on Tuesday and are scheduled for a bail hearing on April 11.
The case has led to a public outcry in the small town and beyond, with some calling in social media postings for the four men to face a firing squad or be hanged. The calls for vigilante justice prompted the sheriff ’s office to appeal for calm on Monday in a statement on its Facebook page.
“The interest and concern over the case of victimisation of a nine year old girl in our county has been overwhelming and unprecedent- ed,” the statement said. “Occasionally, there are incidents that we face that are shocking to the conscience, and this case has certainly been one of those for us all.”
According to court documents, the four men took turns raping the child over a 30-minute period before putting her back on the couch and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
The mother said she found her daughter upset, with her dress “pulled up past her waist” when she returned from the garage and took her home.
She called police the next day after her daughter told her of the rape. Authorities said that the child was taken to hospital and has been placed in government custody.
The four alleged attackers — Larson RonDeau, 36, Josiah RonDeau, 20, Jerry Flatlip, 29 and Randall Flatlip, 26 — face up to life in prison if convicted.
• ORIGINAL COPY