Jail terms suspended for driver found hauling his half-sisters in refrigerated trailer last fall

The jail terms for the truck driver found hauling his half-sisters in a refrigerated trailer after his rig blew a tire have been suspended by a judge this month. 

28-year-old Jacob Ortell Scott was arrested in September after his rig blew a tire on Interstate 15 in Lindon, Utah, causing a pile-up crash. During the crash investigation, an officer noticed “two sets of eyes” looking back at him from inside the refrigerated trailer. Despite initially acting “shocked,” Scott eventually admitted that there were “kids in the trailer.”

Investigation of the incident revealed that the two girls, 12 and 14, were half sisters to Scott, and were being transported to Salt Lake City to take a test for school. They told officers 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.”

According to KSL News, Scott pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated child abuse, a class A misdemeanor, after taking a plea deal reducing the charges from first-degree felonies. He was sentenced to one year in jail for each charge, but the jail terms were soon suspended by 4th District Judge Thomas Low in favor of two years probation. 

Scott will now be subjected to typical probation terms, along with orders to take a parenting class and participate in family counseling.