VERNAL — The investigation into the alleged gang rape of a 9-year-old girl has led to additional criminal charges, including a case against the child's mother and abuse allegations involving a second victim.

Police began investigating in late March after the girl's mother reported the child had been sexually assaulted by four men over Easter weekend. The mother had allegedly left her daughter alone to use drugs when the assault occurred.

Three of those men — Larson Rondeau, 37; Jerry Flatlip, 30; and Randall Flatlip, 26 — were ordered to stand trial on charges of rape of a child and sodomy on a child, first-degree felonies, in July. Charges against the fourth man, Josiah Rondeau, 20, were dismissed at the preliminary hearing because the girl's mother, a material witness, couldn't be located.

The mother, who KSL has chosen not to identify to protect the identity of the child, was charged Aug. 23 with child abuse, a third-degree felony, for allegedly placing her daughter in harm's way. The woman told police she had taken her daughter to the home, near 1100 South and 2000 West, where she intended to spend the weekend using drugs with people she met while in custody in the Uintah County Jail, charges state.

The woman, 32, left her daughter alone in a TV room while she used drugs in the garage on March 26, charges state. When she returned, she discovered the girl was upset and her clothing and underwear were out of place. The girl didn't tell her mother what was wrong, only that she wanted to go home.

According to the charges, the woman told police she was hallucinating from the drug use and that the effects lasted three days. During that time, the woman asked her daughter multiple times what happened. At the end of the three days, the girl described the assault to her mother, who contacted police, charges state.

The woman told police she had kept her daughter's clothing separate in case there was evidence on it, as well as a paper towel she had used to help the girl clean herself after they left the house. Those items were turned over to investigators.

A warrant has been issued for the mother's arrest. Her daughter is in tribal custody.

Since his arrest was part of the rape investigation, Randall Flatlip has been charged with 74 counts of exploitation of a child, all second-degree felonies.

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3 ordered to stand trial in gang rape of 9-year-old girl

Three men were ordered to stand trial for gang raping a 9-year-old girl following a tense preliminary hearing. But with the child's mother nowhere to be found to take the witness stand, the same charges were dropped against a fourth man.

According to charges filed Aug. 30 in 8th District Court, Flatlip is accused of accessing 48 images of 74 children between Feb. 19 and March 18, just eight days before allegedly participating in the rape of the 9-year-old.

Randall Flatlip's initial appearance in the case is scheduled for Wednesday, when he is also scheduled for a status conference in the rape case.

Larson Rondeau and Jerry Flatlip are also facing additional charges. The two men were charged Sept. 2 with one count each of third-degree felony child abuse for allegedly allowing a child to come in contact with controlled substances between Dec. 23, 2012 and March 29, 2013.

Uintah County Attorney G. Mark Thomas said the victim in that case is not the 9-year-old girl in the rape case.

Two women also associated with the group — Hilda Rondeau, 72, and Glynda Rondeau, 66 — were also charged Sept. 2 with one count each of third-degree felony child abuse for allegedly allowing a child to come in contact with controlled substances.

Investigators have not said what the relationships are between all the defendants.

Warrants have been issued for Glynda and Hilda Rondeau. Larson Rondeau is scheduled in court Sept. 13 for the new charge as well as the rape case.

Jerry Flatlip made an initial appearance Tuesday for the child abuse charge. His next hearing in the rape case is Sept. 13.

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