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Maricopa police arrest suspect who allegedly assaulted woman while driving her home

The victim identified her assailant after stumbling across a mugshot published online in 2014 of a man who sexually abused a young woman in Tempe.

TEMPE, Ariz. — A Valley man previously convicted of sexual abuse, trespassing, and impersonating law enforcement has been arrested again for allegedly assaulting a woman he had driven home. 

Nathan Whipple, 28, was taken into custody this week on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman who was attempting to find a ride-share driver that could transport her from Tempe to Maricopa, court records show.

The victim told police she was celebrating a friend's birthday on Jan. 23 at a bar on Mill Avenue before she requested a ride to pick her up.

After ordering and canceling multiple rides, the victim somehow ended up in a car allegedly driven by Whipple, court records show. 

During the trip down to Maricopa, the suspect stopped the car in a parking lot and assaulted the passenger. He then continued driving the car and dropped off the victim at her home. 

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A couple of days after the alleged assault, the woman reported coming across an East Valley Tribune article from 2014 that detailed Whipple's arrest for sexually abusing a woman in Tempe. 

In that case, a 22-year-old woman reported waking up in her bedroom to Whipple touching her inappropriately. Whipple was on probation at the time of the 2014 incident for impersonating a police officer.

Whipple later pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and criminal trespassing for the 2014 charges. He spent about a year in the Arizona Department of Corrections, records show.

Based on the mugshot published by the East Valley Tribune, the victim told police she was "95-percent" sure that Whipple was the driver who assaulted her.

Maricopa police say specimens taken from the victim's rape kit allegedly matched with a DNA sample on file for Whipple. 

The suspect denied knowing the victim and did not recall having any interactions with her. 

Credit: Arizona Department of Corrections
Nathan Whipple spent time in the Arizona Department of Corrections before his recent arrest for allegedly assaulting a woman.

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