Polygamous sect leader convicted on state charges after girls found in unventilated trailer

Samuel Bateman, a polygamous sect leader already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence in a child sex abuse case, was convicted in Arizona on state child abuse charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in which authorities found three girls locked inside an enclosed trailer. A Coconino County jury found Bateman guilty Friday on three counts of child abuse. The verdict came after about 40 minutes of deliberation. Bateman is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 25. Each child abuse count carries