Posted 7:05 AM, Sep 18, 2025
LINDON, Utah — A 28-year-old Utah man is facing aggravated child abuse charges after two teenage girls were found inside a refrigerated truck that was involved in a crash on Interstate 15 in Lindon on Wednesday.
Jacob Ortell Scott was arrested following the incident and is being held without bail. According to troopers, Scott and the girls are half-siblings and they don't believe human trafficking was a part of this incident.
The original crash happened at 11:15 a.m. involving a tractor-trailer driven by Scott, which closed down northbound lanes for several hours due to multiple people being injured.
While investigating the crash, Utah Highway Patrol troopers were set to enter the refrigerated trailer of Scott's truck when one trooper spotted two sets of eyes inside.
Scott allegedly acted surprised at what was seen, but then admitted to having two children in the trailer. According to UHP, Scott and a passenger were in the front cab, leaving no room for the girls.
While troopers first thought the girls were running away, they soon realized it was a family on their way to Salt Lake City for school tests, and to help another sister with her pregnancy by doing chores around the house.
Lt. Clay Morgan with Utah Highway Patrol says the situation is something he hadn't seen before, "It's very unusual to come across a couple of people in the back of the car.
Morgan said there was no way for the girls, a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old, to get out of the truck and that a makeshift bed, duffel bags and backpacks were also found in the back.
"The 12- and 14-year-old, they were scared," Morgan explained. "They were scared that they were in trouble. They were scared that their brother was in trouble. They were scared that somebody was hurt, but after a while they calmed down."
Neither girl was found to be injured after the discovery.
Investigators learned the girls had been inside the truck's trailer since leaving Huntington for Lindon, a nearly 2-hour drive. The truck's thermostat was set for 30 degrees Fahrenheit, although at one point the thermometer inside the trailer showed it was at 29.5 degrees.
Although the girls and Scott were related, UHP said Scott was arrested on child abuse charges due to putting the teens in an unsafe situation.
"I mean, it's kind of common sense that we shouldn't be riding in the back of any type of trailer," said Morgan, "but one that's enclosed that you certainly can't get out of, we would just ask, just use common sense, try and find a better way to get people where you're going."