Nurse arrested in sex assault of woman in vegetative state who gave birth at nursing home

[ansible]

A nurse has been arrested in the sexual assault of an incapacitated woman who gave birth at a Phoenix nursing facility, Arizona police said Wednesday. Nathan Sutherland, 36, was a licensed practical nurse at Hacienda Skilled Nursing Facility, where the woman gave birth. The female patient had been in a vegetative state facility for at least 14 years after a near-drowning incident.

She stunned workers when she went into labor on Dec. 29 because they didn't know she was pregnant. Police obtained a DNA sample from Sutherland on Tuesday. He was not working at the time. He was responsible for caring for the victim and had access to her at the time of the incident.

On Jan. 22, authorities determined that Sutherland's DNA matched the baby's and he was detained. He was booked in the Maricopa County Jail on one count of vulnerable adult abuse and one count of sexual assault. Sutherland, wearing a T-shirt, black athletic pants and jacket, appeared in court Wednesday. A Maricopa County Superior Court commissioner ordered him released on a cash-only $500,000 bond. He also must wear an electronic monitoring device.

Nursing facility staff has said that none of them knew the woman was pregnant until she started giving birth.

https://6abc.com/nurse-arrested-in-sexual-assault-of-incapacitated-woman-/5102691/

[LisaM]

1. I wouldn't be surprised if he's raped multiple patients.

I'm sure he didn't expect it to result in pregnancy, glad he's caught. What a sad situation for everyone involved.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Apparently the woman was not in a vegetative state, but rather handicapped.

Which, while it doesn't excuse what happened, clears up something I'd been wondering about. After all, someone in a coma or vegetative state is going to get bed baths, is going to have her diaper changed, and it seems completely unbelievable to me that no one that handled her body over the time she was pregnant never noticed any changes. But if she was handling her own toilet and bath functions, then it's a lot easier to understand.

[ansible]

3. She's been disabled since childhood and suffers extreme disabilities

Family released a statement recently too

"The victim’s parents would like to make clear that their daughter is not in a coma. She has
significant intellectual disabilities as a result of seizures very early in her childhood. She
does not speak but has some ability to move her limbs, head and neck. Their daughter
responds to sound and is able to make facial gestures. The important thing is that she is a
beloved daughter, albeit with significant intellectual disabilities. She has feelings, likes to
be read to, enjoys soft music, and is capable of responding to people she is familiar with,
especially family."

https://www.turnto23.com/news/national/patient-pregnancy-investigation-family-says-victim-communicates

[mercuryblues]

4. Not entirely

I worked in a Traumatic Brain Injury hospital. No matter how much they can do on their own, they always need help. They are weighed weekly, showered weekly at a minimum, bed baths every day. Bowel movements and urination tracked-right down to amount and color. The females had their periods tracked. Several people see them in a state of undress a day. Doctors come in monthly for a complete assessment, more often if needed. every 8 hours nurses are to make an assessment (listen to breathing, listen to heart, check for feeling in the feet, pressing their stomach/sides for problems, check for bedsores.) NA's are to get them dressed and out of bed for 8 hours a day, hand/arm/feet/leg/ splints on for 2 hours off for 2 hours. Turn them every 4 hours to prevent bedsores. Physical therapists, breathing therapists, & occupational therapists.

Being there for 14 years tells me she needed 24 hour care around the clock. According to this article she could not do anything on her own.

Police initially described the woman as being in a vegetative state, but Micheaels said she has “significant intellectual disabilities” and is not able to speak, but has some ability to move her limbs, head and neck, responds to sound and is able to make facial gestures.
Court documents of Sutherland’s arrest described the woman as a “quadriplegic in a non-responsive state of consciousness.”

http://ktar.com/story/2407561/phoenix-police-arrest-suspect-in-hacienda-healthcare-sex-assault/