PHOENIX — Nathan Sutherland has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, with lifetime probation, in connection to the 2018 Hacienda rape case.
Sutherland was charged in 2019 with sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman who later gave birth at Hacienda Healthcare, a long-term care facility. He pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault and vulnerable adult abuse.
Police were originally notified of the incident in December 2018 by staff at Hacienda Healthcare who called for help when a patient gave birth to a baby who needed immediate medical attention.
A nurse who cared for the victim during her delivery said in a 911 call that she was unaware that the patient was pregnant.
According to court paperwork, the suspect, Nathan Sutherland, "worked around the victim and treated her on numerous occasions and thus had direct access to her for an extended period of time."
Sutherland was arrested in January 2019 after male staff members at the facility were DNA tested and his was matched to the victim's baby.
According to family members, the victim suffered “significant intellectual disabilities” after childhood seizures and had limited communication capabilities.
