SutherlandNathan Sutherland, a 36-year-old licensed practical nurse at Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix, Arizona, has been charged with sexual assault and abuse on a vulnerable adult. On Dec. 29, 2018, a 29-year-old woman who was incapacitated gave birth to a boy at Hacienda HealthCare, where she has resided for 10 years.

Law enforcement obtained a warrant to collect DNA from Sutherland on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. When the DNA matched the baby’s, Sutherland was taken into custody.

Police announced on Jan. 8, they obtained a court order and would be testing DNA from all Hacienda HealthCare male employees. Phoenix Police Sgt. Tommy Thompson said police did not test Sutherland’s until Tuesday.

Sutherland declined to answer police’s questions after his arrest, Thompson continued.

Sutherland was brought to the Maricopa County Jail and booked. Records from Maricopa County Superior Court reveal Sutherland has no previous criminal record.

In a press conference on Jan. 23, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams reported Sutherland had worked at the facility since 2011. She also said Sutherland was partially responsible for the victims care.

The attorney for the family of the victim released a statement on Jan. 23 stating she is not in a coma but had severe intellectual disabilities from seizures she suffered from as a child. She can not speak but can move her neck, head, and limbs. The woman can respond to sound and makes facial gestures.

The caregivers of the woman reported that they were unaware of the pregnancy until labor started. One of the woman’s physicians was suspended and another resigned. Hacienda HealthCare’s CEO, Bill Timmons, resigned Jan.7.

Written by Barbara Sobel
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

AZ Central: Phoenix police arrest nurse Nathan Sutherland in Hacienda HealthCare rape case
Washington Post: Nurse charged with sexual assault after incapacitated woman gave birth at a health-care facility
NBC News: Parents of Arizona woman in vegetative state who gave birth say she’s ‘not in a coma’

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of  Jo Nayler’s Flikr Page – Creative Commons License


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