NORTHWEST LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Parents and experts are taking in the news of a 21-year-old gymnastics coach arrested for a slew of child sex crimes late last month.
“It’s devastating,” said mom of two Abigial Ayala. “You want to put your kids in activities; you want to have them to have outside activities out of school. And for you to trust somebody to teach them something like gymnastics and then to not even be able to have them there because it’s not safe.”
WATCH | Parents, experts react to gymnastics coach arrest for alleged sex crimes
Metro police arrested Michael Nestor, accused of multiple felony charges including lewdness with a child under 14, child sex abuse, kidnapping a minor and luring a child for sexual conduct. That’s all according to an arrest report obtained by Channel 13.
The report says the arrest stems from a young boy’s alleged interaction with Nestor at the Go For It USA Gymnastics day camp. Police say the child’s mom reported what happened to the gym’s general manager after her son tried to tell a female coach.
That coach, according to the report, told the child “It didn’t happen,” and according to police, later denied the child coming to her about the incident at all.
Surveillance video from the gym reviewed by authorities corroborated his account of what happened.
The report also indicates other parents reported similar issues involving Nestor to authorities.
Channel 13 also went to Las Vegas-based psychologist, Dr. Julie Robinson, who works with clients of all ages. Many of them have dealt with some type of trauma or abuse.
She says she’s not surprised that police think there are more victims out there who have encountered Nestor.
“Trust children when they tell you something has happened,” she emphasized to senior reporter Mary Kielar.
Dr. Robinson said it’s important to look out for behavior that might seem different and could mean your child is dealing with something they don’t know how to tell you.
She said that the female coach who dismissed the child at the gym after his encounter with Michael Nestor “100%” failed him. But she said “a lot of times, this person may not have been trained in how to look out for trauma in kids. They probably wouldn’t expect someone who works there would do this.”
Go For It USA released the following statement to Channel 13 about Nestor’s arrest:
“The safety and well-being of our young athletes is our top priority, and we address any reported violations of our safety policies promptly and decisively. Upon learning of the allegations, we immediately placed the employee on leave, reported to the appropriate authorities, including child protective services, alerted SafeSport, and retained an outside law firm to conduct an employment-related investigation. We have fully cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do so. Based on the facts gathered by trained professionals, the arrested coach has been fired. We have zero tolerance for inappropriate, unsafe or abusive conduct. We are unwavering in our standard that everyone must act professionally and respectfully to provide our athletes with a safe and rewarding experience in the sport of gymnastics.”
The City of North Las Vegas said that while Michael Nestor was employed by Go For It USA Gymnastics, he did fill in as a substitute instructor a few times at Silver Mesa Recreation Center.
