A former Arizona nurse was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman at a long-term care facility where she later gave birth. Nathan Sutherland received the maximum punishment called for under his agreement to plead guilty to sexual assault.
He also received lifetime probation for a conviction for abuse of a vulnerable adult stemming from his treatment of the woman.
“It’s hard to imagine a more vulnerable adult than the victim in this case,” said Superior Court Judge Margaret LaBianca, adding that Sutherland exploited his position of trust as a caregiver to sexually abuse the victim.
The pregnancy was discovered in December 2018 when an employee at the Hacienda Healthcare facility
in Phoenix was changing the garments of the then-29-year-old victim and noticed the patient was in the process of delivering a child. Employees told police that they had no idea the woman was pregnant.
Police have said Sutherland’s DNA matched a sample taken from the woman’s son. The victim’s mother is the boy’s guardian.
Before the punishment was handed down, Sutherland told the judge about the problems in his life that resulted from being put up for adoption as a child. He also offered apologies to the victim and her family and said he understands the situation isn’t fair to the child, either.
“To the victim, I am sorry,” Sutherland said. “You didn’t deserve to be hurt no matter what was going on in my personal life and the demons I was fighting. I had no right to put you through that.”
The surprise birth triggered reviews by state agencies, highlighted safety concerns for patients who are severely disabled or incapacitated and prompted the resignations of Hacienda’s chief executive and one of the victim’s doctors.
