Health Care Worker Raped, Impregnated Mentally Incapacitated Woman, Police Suspect More Victims

A Virginia health care worker was arrested and charged for allegedly raping and impregnating a mentally incapacitated woman at a rehabilitation center where he worked. The incident came to light after the patient gave birth and a DNA examination showed the 60-year-old was the father of the child.

Fairfax County police said Bernard Betts-King, who was previously employed as a behavioral specialist at the MVLE Community Center in Springfield, raped the patient in early 2018.

"A family member reported it to us after they took the victim to the doctor and it was learned at that time that she was pregnant. She is a vulnerable adult, she is incapable of giving consent," Fairfax County Police Major Crimes Captain Thea Pirnat told Fox 10. According to local media reports, police also identified a second potential victim suffering mental health issues.

"We are actually working a second case right now that we have learned there are commonalities. We believe it's going to be linked to him and we are doing DNA processing in that particular case," Pirnat said. "Same facility, same circumstances. She is a vulnerable adult she is not able to give consent to some cognitive impairment issues and that’s what our concern is."

Police said the accused had no prior criminal record of this nature, which is why he did not fail any employment background checks.

"This is an extremely sad case. We are concerned that this is potentially a predator that was targeting vulnerable adults so we are asking any individuals that had family members potentially in his control for limited amounts of time," Pirnat said. "If they notice behavioral changes, any medical changes with their family members to come forward so we can potentially investigate if there's a crime there."

Betts-King was being held without bond at the Adult Detention Center. His preliminary hearing was set for March 26.

The facility said in a statement Tuesday that Betts-King had been fired and it was taking the situation “very seriously.”

“We are fully cooperating with the authorities, and because this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to give any further comments at this time,” the statement read.

The latest incident is similar to the case in Phoenix, Arizona, where a nurse at a healthcare facility raped and impregnated a woman in a vegetative state. The victim had been in the facility for a decade after a near-drowning incident.

Local media reported in January staff at the Hacienda HealthCare facility in Phoenix was unaware the woman was pregnant and only learnt about it when "she was pretty much giving birth." The nurse was later identified as Nathan Sutherland.