Samuel Bateman, a 50-year-old leader of a polygamous sect, was sentenced on the 24th to 24 years in prison after being convicted of three counts of child abuse involving the transport of girls in an unventilated trailer in Arizona. He was already serving a 50-year federal sentence for organizing child sex crimes; this new sentence adds to his existing term of imprisonment.
The latest charges against Bateman stemmed from a traffic stop in Flagstaff in August 2022, during which police discovered three girls—aged 11 to 14—inside the trailer he was towing. The trailer contained a makeshift toilet, a sofa, and folding chairs, but lacked air conditioning and seatbelts. Police were alerted after someone spotted small hands reaching out through a gap in the trailer door.