Four men accused of raping nine-year-old girl while her mother smoked meth
'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,' says sheriff's department.
Four men have been arrested on suspicion of raping a nine-year-old girl while her mother smoked crystal meth in the next room.
The girl's mother, who has not been identified, had been visiting friends in Vernal, Utah, a town 175 miles east of Salt Lake City.
In a statement, investigators said that while the child slept on the couch, her mother entered the garage to smoke the drug.
The girl was then taken into another room where she was allegedly raped by four men, according to Uintah County Sheriff's Department.
Larson RonDeau, 36, was arrested on the day the sheriff received a report of the alleged rape on 29 March.
RonDeau has been charged with first degree rape and sodomy of a child, Uintah County Attorney General Mark Thomas said.
Three others - Josiah RonDeau, 20, Jerry Flatlip, 29, and Randall Flatlip, 26 - were arrested between 31 March and 1 April on the same charges.
The girl was not taken to hospital after the alleged attack and has been taken into protective government custody.
Her mother has not been arrested.
Writing on their Facebook page, Uintah Sheriff's Department said: "The interest and concern over the case of victimisation of a nine-year-old girl in our county has been overwhelming and unprecedented.
"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."