A trucker in Utah was arrested after officers responding to a multi-vehicle pileup involving his tractor-trailer noticed “two sets of eyes” apparently belonging to his trapped young half-sisters peering out the back of his refrigerated big rig.
Jacob Ortell Scott, 28, was behind the wheel of his hulking tractor-trailer when a tire came loose and careened over a wall on Interstate 15 in Lindon, according to the state’s highway patrol.
The tire wound up striking two other vehicles, causing some minor injuries.
To make matters worse, a semi-truck rear-ended a nearby passenger car, which was then pushed into several other vehicles while Scott’s tractor-trailer was stopped.
While surveying the chaotic scene, one responding trooper noticed “two sets of eyes” through the slats of the trailer, according to court documents.
The trooper asked Scott, who “looked surprised” before admitting that “there were kids in the trailer,” the affidavit states.
Other troopers pried open the trailer and found two young girls, aged 12 and 14, trapped inside with bedding set up and “no way for [them] to exit,” according to the affidavit.
The thermostat inside the refrigerated trailer was set to remain at 30 degrees — low enough to induce hypothermia.
The girls had been locked inside for approximately two hours, according to court documents.
Their exact condition following the harrowing journey is unclear, but they were well enough to complete interviews with agents from the Utah State Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Child and Family Services.
Lt. Cameron Roden with Utah Highway Patrol said that the girls were apparently Scott’s half-sisters, KJZZ reported. He added that they weren’t being trafficked, but the bizarre circumstance was still enough to arrest him on suspicion of third-degree felony aggravated child abuse.
Scott was booked at the Utah County Jail without bail. Judge Sean Petersen cited “substantial evidence” that Scott posed a “substantial danger” to the public.
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