Nurse arrested for sexual assault of woman who gave birth at an Arizona care facility
A 36-year-old licensed nurse has been charged with sexual assault and vulnerable adult abuse of a woman in a vegetative state who gave birth at the Hacienda Healthcare facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
The arrest of a licensed nurse who was supposed to be looking after a woman at an Arizona long-term health care facility -- but was charged Wednesday with raping her -- came as a shock to those who were around him most.
Nathan Sutherland, 36, was arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of vulnerable adult abuse, after the woman stunned her caregivers and family last month by giving birth to a baby boy.
Angela Gomez, the mother of a 27-year-old patient at the Hacienda HealthCare facility, told KPHO-TV that Sutherland cared for her son and appeared to be "very compassionate."
Nathan Sutherland, 36, was arrested for the sexual assault of an incapacitated woman at a long term care facility in Arizona. (AP/Maricopa County Jail)
"Never in my wildest dreams would I think that he would be the suspect that the PD was looking for," she said. "I suspected others, but I was wrong, and he fooled everybody."
NURSE ARRESTED IN RAPE OF WOMAN WHO GAVE BIRTH AT CARE FACILITY
Gomez told KPHO that Sutherland worked the night shift at the Phoenix facility, and that she now was getting her son tested for sexually transmitted diseases because she did not know the extent of the 36-year-old's contact with him.
"I want him to spend every day of his life in prison," she told the television station. "That’s what a monster like him deserves,"
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said that investigators arrested 36-year-old Nathan Sutherland on one count of sexual assault and one count of vulnerable adult abuse. (FOX10)
Phoenix Police Spokesman Tommy Thompson said Sutherland submitted his DNA sample under court order Tuesday and the results came back a few hours later, showing he was a match to the baby. He declined to speak with police and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.
Defense attorney David Gregan described his client in court as a family man with young children who has lived in Arizona since 1993, adding there was no "direct evidence" his client "committed these acts."
"I know at this point there's DNA. But he will have a right to his own DNA expert," he said.
ARIZONA NURSE ACCUSED OF RAPING WOMAN HAS WIFE AND KIDS, ATTENDS CHURCH, NEIGHBOR SAYS
A former co-worker of Sutherland told ABC15 the 36-year-old was an outgoing man who got along with many, and the arrest was disturbing to her.
Sexual assault investigation underway after female patient in vegetative state gives birth at Phoenix nursing facility
Superior Court judge issues DNA search warrants to Phoenix Police, who are gathering samples from all male staffers and any vendors and contractors who may have had contact with the patient.
"I cried. I just cried and cried," Eleanor Riggers told the television station. "I think he is a coward. I think he is the lowest scum imaginable because I considered him a friend."
Hacienda officials fired Sutherland after learning of his arrest. The company said it was "troubled beyond words." Sutherland had passed an extensive background check.
"Once again, we offer an apology and send our deepest sympathies to the client and her family, to the community and to our agency partners at every level," Hacienda said in a statement.
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The 29-year-old victim has been in long-term care since age 3 and gave birth at the facility on Dec. 29. Earlier stories had described the patient as being comatose or in a vegetative state, but her parents released a statement Tuesday disputing that characterization.
This Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, file photo shows Hacienda HealthCare in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
They described her as intellectually disabled because of seizures in early childhood. While she doesn't speak, she has some mobility in her limbs, head and neck. She also responds to sound and can make facial gestures.
Thompson said Tuesday the baby is "doing well" and has since been released from the hospital. The woman's family has said they will care for him.
The family's attorney, John Micheaels, told the Associated Press that they knew about the arrest but did not want to comment.
Fox News' Elizabeth Zwirz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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