A 28-year-old truck driver in Utah, United States, has been ordered to remain in custody without bail after two girls were found locked inside his refrigerated trailer following a traffic accident in Lindon.
Authorities identified the driver as Jacob Ortell Scott, who was arrested on Wednesday after Utah State Troopers discovered a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old girl trapped in the back of his truck along Interstate 15.
Court documents revealed that troopers noticed “two sets of eyes” during a routine inspection of the trailer. Scott initially feigned surprise before admitting that children were inside after conferring with his passenger, according to an arrest affidavit.
The girls had endured a nearly two-hour journey from Huntington, Utah, confined in the freezing compartment, which was set at 30 degrees Fahrenheit and dropped as low as 29.5 degrees. Investigators also found bedding inside the trailer. Officials noted the children had no means of escaping on their own.
Agents from the Utah State Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Child and Family Services later interviewed the victims.
Scott was briefly taken to a hospital for a possible hand injury before being booked into Utah County Jail. Judge Sean Petersen ruled that he should be held without bail, citing “substantial evidence” and describing him as a “substantial danger” to others.
Court records indicate Scott has prior misdemeanor convictions but no felony history. At press time, no lawyer had been assigned to represent him.
