Federal authorities recently announced the indictment of a man suspected of raping a Yosemite National Park employee last month.
In a press release issued Thursday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, authorities named Nathan Baptista as a suspect. Baptista, 36, was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday and charged with aggravated sexual abuse.
Authorities accuse the suspect of sexually assaulting and choking a female Yosemite National Park employee in late May.
“According to court documents, on May 31, 2024, Baptista forcibly raped and choked a female park employee after meeting her that night,” the press release stated.
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A suspect has been indicted after allegedly raping a park worker in Yosemite National Park, California. (iStock)
“This case is the result of an investigation by the National Park Service,” the statement added. “Assistant U.S. Attorney Allyn C. Heinz is prosecuting the case.”
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Baptista was an employee of Yosemite Hospitality at the time of the incident, and the rape occurred at a residence he shared with a co-worker.
“[The victim] She reported that she and a friend were walking home when the subject (“Nate”) stopped at the home he shares with other Yosemite Hospitality employees… [the victim] “She was in the living room talking to the suspect, no one else was around, where he assaulted her,” the document states.
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A welcome sign is displayed at Yosemite National Park in California, USA on December 13, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The suspect was physically violent and had visible bruising from the incident.”
The maximum sentence the suspect faces is life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The US Attorney’s Office added that Baptista’s punishment “will be determined at the court’s discretion, taking into account applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a variety of variables.”
Authorities are actively investigating the incident. No further details are available at this time.
Light and shadow from the setting sun on the face of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park on August 4, 2021. (Mark Hume/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital reached out to the National Park Service for additional information but did not immediately receive a response.
