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.
The man was arrested following the incident and is being held without bail. According to troopers, he 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 the suspect, 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 the suspect’s truck when one trooper spotted two sets of eyes inside.
The suspect allegedly acted surprised at what was seen, but then admitted to having two children in the trailer. According to UHP, the suspect 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.
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