‘I Was Afraid To Fight’: Ex Police Officer Charged With Raping Domestic Violence Victim He Was Supposed To Help

A former Spokane police officer was charged with sexually assaulting two women, including a victim of domestic violence he was tasked with interviewing.

Nathan Nash, 38, has been charged with two felony counts of sexual assault. He was arrested by the Spokane County Sheriff’s office on Wednesday. The incidents date back over two years ago.

In July 2019, a woman who had complained a male neighbor was chronically harassing her, was later assaulted inside her apartment. The woman later called 911 to report the incident. 

Two Spokane police officers, including Nash, responded to the call, according to KHQ-TV. They spoke with the victim. Nash allegedly promised to return the following day to snap photographs of the woman’s injuries. He left her a card with his phone number on the back of it, according to court documents.

Nash returned alone to take pictures the next day. Authorities later confirmed other Spokane officers were responding to an police-related shooting during the alleged incident. He asked the woman to wear a dress, police said. 

During their interaction, Nash allegedly began touching the victim inappropriately and ultimately forced himself upon her. The woman told law enforcement the Spokane police officer raped her on her couch. She said she was “afraid to fight” because he was armed, KXLY-TV reported.

“He had a gun and everything. ... He had his uniform on," the victim told authorities, court documents state. "I thought he was going to shoot me." 

The unidentified victim said Nash pulled her into the bathroom afterward and forced her into the shower. The woman claimed she feared Nash was going to drown her. She told investigators that Nash left after the encounter. 

However, he returned multiple times, she said. The victim, who was under the impression Nash was assisting her with her case, admitted to authorities that the two carried out a consensual sexual relationship for roughly a month. 

No charges were apparently filed in the original incident that the victim sought police assistance for. 

Last month, the victim contacted the Spokane Police Department and inquired as to the status of the investigation. She told a dispatcher that Nash “violated her,” according to court documents. 

The Spokane Sheriff’s Department later opened an investigation into Nash’s conduct.

Nash had been arrested for second-degree rape related to a separate but similar incident in October 2019 involving a victim of domestic violence. That woman also said she was sexually assaulted by the Spokane police officer while he examined her injuries. Prosecutors accused Nash of turning off his body camera during the alleged rape. 

Nash was later terminated by the Spokane Police Department. He has maintained his innocence on all charges.

Nash’s bond was set at $50,000. He has since been released from Spokane County Jail, according to online jail records. He's scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 17 and his trial is expected to get underway on Aug. 30.

The Spokane Police Department didn’t immediately respond to Oxygen.com’s questions surrounding the case.