Nurse indicted on charges of raping incapacitated woman

PHOENIX – A nurse suspected of raping an incapacitated woman who later gave birth at a long-term care facility in Phoenix has been indicted on charges of sexual assault and abuse of a vulnerable adult.

The document filed Tuesday mirrors charges that prosecutors filed last week against 36-year-old Nathan Dorceus Sutherland.

Sutherland is expected to enter a plea to the charges at an arraignment hearing next Tuesday.

His attorney, David Gregan, didn’t immediately return a call Wednesday seeking comment.

Authorities say the 29-year-old victim was raped by Sutherland at Hacienda HealthCare. He was fired after his arrest.

Gregan has previously said there’s no direct evidence linking Sutherland to the rape, but investigators say Sutherland’s DNA matched a sample from the newborn.

Workers at Hacienda say they didn’t know the woman was pregnant.