Nurse arrested on suspicion of impregnating woman in vegetative state

A 36-year-old nurse has been arrested for the sexual assault of an incapacitated woman in a vegetative state at a health care facility in Phoenix, Arizona.

Nathan Sutherland is facing preliminary charges of sexual assault and vulnerable-adult abuse, CNN reports.

The woman, who has been in a vegetative state for nearly a decade, gave birth on Dec. 29th to a baby boy. Authorities determined on Tuesday that Sutherland's DNA matched the baby's.

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Sutherland was a licensed practical nurse at the Hacienda HealthCare facility in Phoenix and was caring for the woman at the time of the alleged assault. He had worked for Hacienda since 2011.

Male employees at Hacienda are now required to have a female employee with them before entering a female patient's room, ABC7 reports.