Oklahoma City Police station (KFOR).
An Oklahoma man and his girlfriend allegedly used a 14-year-old girl as a surrogate — forcing her to become pregnant with the man's twins because the girlfriend could not conceive — before fleeing the state.
Authorities arrested Nathan Potier and Erica Palmer, both 36, in Nevada earlier this week on felony warrants, officials announced. Potier is charged with one count of sexual assault of a child, while Palmer is charged with one count of enabling sexual abuse of a child.
According to a news release from the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, the pair was arrested Tuesday by members of the United States Marshals Nevada Violent Offender Task Force in Sparks, Nevada.
Authorities said the arrests followed an investigation by members of the Regional Sex Offender Notification Unit, a multi-jurisdictional partnership established to monitor and investigate such offenders.
The unit uncovered information indicating the fugitives were in Nevada, hiding in the Reno-Sparks area. After pursuing multiple leads, investigators confirmed their location and made the arrests to take both into custody.
Potier and Palmer were booked into the Washoe County Detention Facility and are expected to be extradited to Oklahoma County to face the aforementioned charges. Officials said the case underscores ongoing efforts to locate fugitives and prosecute them through multi-agency cooperation.
Court documents obtained by Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR provided details regarding the allegations that led to the charges.
According to authorities, the investigation into Potier and Palmer began in December 2025, after a caseworker with Oklahoma Child Protective Services sent in a referral indicating that a 14-year-old girl was pregnant with twins.
Authorities allege the pregnancy was the result of abuse involving the couple, and Potier is believed to be the father of the twins.
In an interview with police prior to the arrest warrants being issued, Palmer allegedly said she wanted to have children with Potier but was unable to do because she had undergone tubal ligation, colloquially known as having her tubes tied.
Authorities allege the couple targeted the teenage victim.
Investigators then obtained a search warrant and planned to collect Potier's DNA during a medical appointment to determine whether he was the father of the victim's twins. However, the duo fled the state before that could occur.
Court documents also reference earlier California reports alleging Potier sexually abused the same teen and that Palmer was aware of those allegations.
The teen is now in foster care, KFOR reported.
Both defendants remained in the Washoe County Detention Facility as of Friday afternoon. Palmer was being held on $200,000 bond and Potier on $300,000 bond, records show.