An Oklahoma couple was arrested this week in Nevada, where they fled after officials in Oklahoma opened a child sexual abuse investigation against them.
Nathan Potier, 36, was charged in Oklahoma County with sexual assault of a child, while his 36-year-old girlfriend was charged with enabling sexual abuse of a child, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Court documents in Oklahoma say that Potier and Palmer, identified as Erica Ramirez in records there, were using a 14-year-old girl as a surrogate, KFOR reported. The investigation began in December when Child Protective Services told Oklahoma City police that the girl was pregnant with twins.
Police said that Ramirez told police she wanted children with her boyfriend but couldn’t because her tubes were tied. Investigators obtained a warrant for Potier’s DNA, but before they could serve it, he and Palmer fled the state.
Investigators issued warrants for their arrests and launched a search. The court documents said that there had been prior reports in California that Potier had sexually abused the same girl and that Palmer was aware.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said that a joint investigation with multiple agencies recived tips that Potier and Palmer may have been hiding in the Reno/Sparks area and located them in Sparks. They were booked into the Washoe County jail on fugitive warrants and are awaiting extradition to Oklahoma.
Investigators did not say how the teen was connected with Palmer and Potier but said she had been placed in foster care.
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