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.
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.
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