Polygamous leader had child brides, called himself 'prophet'

Naomi Bistline arrives at the federal courthouse in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. Bistline and two other women from a polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border are charged with kidnapping and impeding a foreseeable prosecution. (AP Photo/Jake Bacon) FILE - Three girls embrace before they are removed from the home of Samuel Bateman, following his arrest in Colorado City, Ariz., on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Federal documents released Friday, Dec. 2 show that Bateman, the leader of a small polygamous group near the Arizona-Utah border, had taken at least 20 wives, most of whom were minors, and punished followers who did not treat him as a prophet. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, File) [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]