Arizona nurse Nathan Sutherland arrested for rape of incapacitated woman who had baby at long-term care facility
- Police say Nathan Sutherland, 36, was identified by DNA as the father of a boy born to the 29-year-old victim, who lived at a Hacienda Healthcare facility
A nurse who was looking after an incapacitated woman at a long-term health care facility has been charged with raping her, weeks after she stunned her caregivers and family who didn’t know she was pregnant by giving birth to a baby boy, Phoenix police said on Wednesday.
Arizona investigators arrested 36-year-old Nathan Sutherland, a licensed practical nurse, on preliminary charges of sexual assault and vulnerable adult abuse, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said.
“We owed this arrest to the victim. We owed this arrest to the newest member of our community – that innocent baby,” Williams said.
The surprise birth late last month triggered reviews by state agencies and highlighted safety concerns for patients who are severely disabled or incapacitated. Authorities tested the DNA of all the men who worked at the Hacienda HealthCare facility.
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Police spokesman Tommy Thompson said that Sutherland was charged after his DNA was found to match the baby’s.