A district judge moved a Uintah County gang rape case to Salt Lake City with hopes a larger selection pool would allow attorneys to finally seat jurors in an almost 2-year-old case fraught with jury selection issues.
Eighth District Judge Edwin T. Petersen ordered Thursday that the case be tried in the Third District Court in Salt Lake City, after absentee jurors forced a mistrial the day before in Summit County, according to court documents.
Only 60 prospective jurors out of the 96-member selection pool showed up for the first day of the trial for the three men — Larson Rondeau, 38, Jerry Flatlip, 31, and Randall Flatlip, 27 — accused of gang-raping a 9-year-old girl in March 2016.