Former nurse pleads guilty to sexually assaulting disabled woman who later gave birth in Arizona

A former Arizona nurse pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of abusing and sexually assaulting an incapable woman who later gave birth, according to the Maricopa County attorney.

The man, Nathan Sutherland, was arrested and charged in January 2019 after DNA evidence linked him to a child born to a disabled 29-year-old woman who lived at Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix. She had been living in the hospital since the age of 3 after suffering brain damage and entering a permanent vegetative state.

Jennifer Liewer, spokesperson for the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office, said Sutherland faces five to ten years in prison on the sexual assault charge and life probation on the vulnerable adult abuse charge .

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 4.

Hacienda Healthcare did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He said in a statement to NBC affiliate KPNX:

“After more than two and a half years, all of us at Hacienda Healthcare are relieved that Nathan Sutherland has finally pleaded guilty to his horrific offenses. We have cooperated in every way possible with law enforcement and investigators.… Our hearts are with the victim and his family. “

In January 2019, police played audio of the 911 call from Hacienda Healthcare employees – who had no idea the woman was pregnant – when she began giving birth in December 2018.

During the month, police executed a search warrant and collected DNA from some staff at the facility and found a match between Sutherland and the baby.

Sutherland, who was arrested in January 2019, initially pleaded not guilty to two crimes.

The state of Arizona, Hacienda Healthcare and others have settled millions of dollars in lawsuits brought by the woman’s family.