Former Hacienda nurse who assaulted patient in vegetative state gets 10 years in prison

A former nurse at Hacienda HealthCare, a long-term care facility in Phoenix, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Dec. 2 after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting and impregnating a patient in a vegetative state, according to NBC News.

Nathan Sutherland was arrested in January 2019 and charged with sexual assault and abuse to a vulnerable adult after DNA evidence matched him to the Hacienda patient's baby. The patient, who was 29 at the time, gave birth Dec. 29, 2018. A 911 call during the birth indicated facility staff did not know the woman was pregnant.

Mr. Sutherland received maximum prison time for the charges. He was also sentenced to lifetime supervised probation and must register as a sex offender, according to NBC affiliate KPNX.

He previously pleaded guilty to the charges Sept. 2 and voluntarily surrendered his nursing license in 2019.

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