BEHIND BARS

Nurse Who Assaulted and Impregnated Intellectually Disabled Woman Gets 10 Years

Employees at the facility were shocked in December 2018 when the woman gave birth to a baby boy.

A nurse accused of sexually assaulting an intellectually disabled woman who gave birth to his child has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Nathan D. Sutherland, formerly a licensed practical nurse, was trusted with caring for the woman at the Hacienda HealthCare facility in Phoenix. But Sutherland’s fellow employees were shocked in December 2018 when the woman—who can’t speak and has severely limited movement—gave birth to a baby boy. Two years ago, Sutherland was arrested and charged with rape after DNA tests were performed on every male employee at the facility and his was found to match the baby’s. He pleaded guilty this year to sexual assault and abusing a vulnerable adult, and, on Thursday, he was given a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars. At his sentencing, Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel said the term took into account “the vulnerability of the victim and the position of trust held by the defendant... This sentence honors the wishes of the victims.”