Former Spokane Police officer’s trial on rape charges to start Monday

The trial of a former Spokane police officer accused of raping multiple women he met while responding to their calls is set to start Monday.

Nathan Nash, 39, is charged with multiple counts of rape, along with unlawful imprisonment, for assaults dating back to 2019.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Nash in October 2019, when a woman reported he had sexually assaulted her during a follow-up visit while investigating her report that her boyfriend assaulted her.

Nash had responded to the woman’s residence after she reported her boyfriend choked her earlier that month, according to court documents. A few days later, Nash conducted a follow-up interview alone.

While the woman showed Nash her bruises, she said he penetrated her with his fingers and touched her rear.

Nash denied the assault through his attorney a few days later. He was arrested in late November of that year.

Shortly after his arrest, more women came forward accusing Nash of acting inappropriately on duty, including by having a “common practice” of giving out his personal cellphone number to victims, according to investigators.

One woman told investigators Nash turned off his body camera during a domestic violence call and gave her his personal cellphone number, court documents say. Then she said Nash continued to contact her about the case in an attempt to advance a personal relationship.

The Spokane Police Department laid off Nash in December 2019.

Investigative records claim Nash’s handling of domestic violence calls had been questioned numerous times over the year prior to the alleged sexual assault.

One lieutenant raised concerns about Nash not arresting a domestic violence suspect in possession of a significant amount of cocaine in June 2019, and giving the female victim his personal cellphone number, according to the sheriff’s office investigation.

In August 2021, Nash was arrested again after another woman reported he raped her while on duty. The alleged assault took place in July 2019, when Nash responded to a report the woman had been assaulted, then gave her his cellphone number, the woman told police.

He returned to her apartment the next day to take pictures of the woman’s injuries, according to court documents. The woman said Nash reached into her underwear when he was supposed to be looking at her bruises.

Nash then pushed her onto the couch and raped her, the woman told police.

The victim told investigators she was shocked and didn’t know what to do, saying, “He had a gun and everything … he had his uniform on,” according to court documents.

The woman mentioned the rape years later when calling to check up on the original assault investigation that Nash was supposed to be conducting, according to court documents. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office then began investigating that incident.

Jury selection in Nash’s trial for both alleged sexual assaults is set to begin Monday, with the trial scheduled to continue to the end of August.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct the charges Nathan Nash was set to be tried for.