- Jacob Ortell Scott, 28, faces child abuse charges after a crash in Lindon.
- Scott allegedly transported his sisters, ages 12 and 14, in a refrigerated trailer.
LINDON — A man who police say was transporting his two younger sisters in a refrigerated trailer that was set at 30 degrees Fahrenheit when he got into a five-vehicle crash is now facing charges.
Jacob Ortell Scott, 28, of Huntington, was charged Wednesday in 4th District Court with two counts of aggravated child abuse, a first-degree felony.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to a crash on Sept. 17 on I-15 in Lindon, involving a tractor-trailer driven by Scott and four other vehicles, according to charging documents. About an hour into the crash investigation, a trooper looked inside the trailer.
"He observed two sets of eyes in the refrigerated trailer. At this point, the trooper went back to (Scott) and asked who was in the trailer?" the charges state.
Troopers learned that two girls, ages 12 and 14 — who are sisters and Scott is their brother — "had been in the refrigerated trailer since they left their milk farm in Huntington and that they were headed to Salt Lake City," court documents state. "Google Maps shows that the fastest drive time from Huntington to Lindon is over two hours. Thus, the girls were locked in the compartment for more than three hours.
"From inside the refrigerated trailer, there was no way for the girls to exit," according to the charges.
Investigators learned the girls were headed to Salt Lake City to take tests at school. When questioned, the girls allegedly said they "were being transported in the refrigerator because there were not enough seats in the passenger compartment. The two girls disclosed that they had been transported in a similar manner on prior occasions," the charges state.
Troopers say the thermostat in the trailer was set to 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
The girls were not injured in the crash. Scott was treated for a possible broken hand before being arrested and taken to the Utah County Jail.
