US: Imprisoned polygamous leader helped plan girls’ escape

SALT LAKE CITY — The leader of a small polygamous group on the Arizona-Utah border helped orchestrate the escape of eight girls he considered his wives from a group home where they were placed after authorities learned of what was happening, prosecutors allege in a Wednesday court filing. An indictment filed by U.S. attorneys in Arizona outlines how Sam Bateman, a self-declared prophet who is behind bars while he awaits trial, worked with three adult women he also claims to be his wives to help the girls escape foster care. In it, prosecutors claim that Bateman, from the federal prison where he’s being held, spoke to two of the women he calls wives via video calls, including while they were driving from Arizona to Washington state and while they were in a hotel room with the girls. About two weeks ago, three women he claims as wives — Naomi Bistline, Donnae Barlow and Moretta Rose Johnson — were charged with helping nine children placed in foster care after Bateman’s arrest to flee their assigned homes. Though federal prosecutors claimed in the women’s charging documents that Bateman had taken some of the girls in question as child brides, they haven’t filed charges relating to abuse or underage marriages.