An enrolled member of the Quinault Indian Nation was sentenced Dec. 1 to 12 years in prison followed by 20 years supervised release for raping a child in Taholah in 2008, according to a statement released by U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.

According to Hayes, the child was 7 or 8 years old when the molestation occurred. The incident was reported to the Hoquiam Police Department in 2015. They conducted an investigation alongside Quinault Nation Police and the FBI and it led to 33-year-old Develin L. Howtopat, who was arrested in April 2016. According to Hayes, Howtopat pleaded guilty in December 2016 and has remained behind bars since his arrest.

U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton delivered the sentence, calling the crime “despicable.”