Sex offender coached kids for 20 years after Boy Scouts discovered abuse
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — In the 1980s, the Boy Scouts discovered a dirty little secret about one of their Scoutmasters: he was an accused child molester.
Leaders of Depew Troop #565 appear to have secured Douglas W. Nail’s resignation within days.
But because the matter was handled “internally” and not reported to law enforcement, Nail spent the next 20 years coaching youth hockey, where he is alleged to have struck again -- this time molesting an 8-year-old.
Those allegations against the hockey coach are included in a lawsuit filed last week in State Supreme Court alleging Nail molested a child when he was coach of the Depew Saints Hockey Club from 1985 to 1992.
The 7 Eyewitness News I-Team was able to piece together confidential records from attorneys suing the Boy Scouts of America, as well as news reports and a separate lawsuit filed under the Child Victims Act, to create a timeline of how Nail joined multiple youth organizations and allegedly molested children before he was convicted in 2004 of possessing child pornography.
TIMELINE -- Douglas W. Nail
1968 -- Boy Scout Troop #565 is formed at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Depew. Douglas W. Nail is one of its original members, he later states in a letter.
April 1, 1978 -- Nail becomes Scoutmaster, a post he will retain for the next six years.
Sept. 30, 1984 -- Committee Chairperson of Troop #565 writes in a letter that the committee was “informed by the parents of two Boy Scouts (approx. age 12) that at a recent sleepover attended by a group of young scouts at the apartment of Scoutmaster Doug Nail, it was observed by one scout and confirmed by another scout th...
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
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Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director