Two Sandy men face felony charges for allegedly sexually abusing a 12-year-old neighbor in a backyard doghouse, according to court documents filed with the Sandy City Police Department.

Dominic Glenn Harkins, 22, and Joseph Michael Sosa, 21, have each been charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony. Sosa faces an additional first-degree felony count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

Neither man is in custody. Summonses have been requested for them to appear at upcoming court hearings, though no dates have been set publicly.

What court documents allege

The victim, now 16, reported to Sandy City Police that when she was 12, her neighbors Harkins and Sosa took her to a doghouse in Harkins' backyard, forced her to touch them, and sexually assaulted her, ABC4 Utah reported Monday, Aug. 3. The defendants would have been approximately 17 to 18 years old at the time.

Both men are accused of inappropriately touching the victim over her clothing and forcing her to touch them. Court documents state the victim was "fighting" to get away when Harkins allegedly held her down while Sosa abused her.

An unidentified witness told Sandy City Police he saw Harkins and Sosa bring the victim into the doghouse but said he didn't think clothing was removed and "didn't think it was that grim."

Charges

Harkins faces two second-degree felony counts of sexual abuse of a child. Sosa faces the same two counts plus a first-degree felony charge of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, the most serious charge in the case. Under Utah law, a first-degree felony carries a potential sentence of five years to life in prison.

The victim was 12 at the time of the alleged assault and is now 16, according to court documents. No specific date of the incident has been identified in the filings.

How to report

Anyone with information about this case or similar incidents can contact Sandy City Police at the department's Tip-a-Cop line: 801-568-4636. Tips can also be submitted online.

The Utah Division of Child and Family Services operates a 24/7 hotline for reporting child abuse at 855-323-3237.