Jury convicts Hendersonville man in home invasion rape

Parks Following a three-day jury trial in Sumner County Criminal Court, Assistant District Attorneys Nathan Nichols and Tara Wyllie secured convictions on Thursday, April 9, for aggravated rape, aggravated burglary and assault against Nathan Charles Parks, 40, of Hendersonville. During the trial, evidence proved that in the early morning hours of May 20, 2023, Parks knocked on the door of a female who resided in a Hendersonville apartment on Old Shackle Island Road, claiming that he was in need of help. Once the female opened the door, Parks entered the home and violently raped her. The victim immediately called police after Parks left and officers with the Hendersonville Police Department located him a short time later. Parks, who according to the victim was a former maintenance man at the apartment complex, was arrested by Detective Lee Chambers following an interview on the scene. Parks has been in jail since the night of his arrest and faces up to 33 years in prison, almost all of which will be served without the possibility of probation, parole or early release. He will be sentenced by Criminal Court Judge Dee David Gay on June 8. In addition to incarceration, Parks will be required to register as a violent sex offender and will be sentenced to community supervision for life upon the expiration of his sentence. “We are grateful to this brave survivor who came forward and made this conviction possible. Our office also appreciates the excellent work of the Hendersonville Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Safe Clinic and DNA Labs International, all of whom helped gather valuable evidence in this case. We also wish to recognize the compassion, diligence, and hard work Victim Witness Coordinators Sally Ann Pirtle and Tina Fuqua, who provided vital assistance to the prosecutors, victim and her family,” District Attorney Thomas Dean said in a press statement. “This office will continue to aggressively prosecute violent crime occurring in our community and ensure that offenders are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”