Trial underway for ex-Camp Woodward coach accused of sexual misconduct with teen gymnast
A former gymnastics coach who worked at the nationally renowned Woodward Camp was deliberate and calculated in his pursuit of a gymnast he’s accused of indecently assaulting during a drill, a Centre County prosecutor said Thursday during the first day of his trial.
Defense lawyer Lance Marshall countered by flatly saying Nathaniel L. Singer “did not do this.”
Centre County Assistant District Attorneys Crystal Hundt and Joshua Andrews, along with Marshall, are expected to spend two days trying to convince a jury hearing allegations of sexual misconduct at one of the top training grounds in the country.
“Each year, hundreds of young girls head off to camp, many at very vulnerable ages. Their parents trust that their children will be kept safe,” Hundt said. “And in this case, (the child’s) parents thought she’d be safe too, but they were wrong.”
Marshall used a portion of his opening statement to tell the jury of seven women and five men that prosecutors will be unable to prove felony aggravated indecent assault and misdemeanor indecent assault charges because of a “large lack of evidence.”
There were no witnesses in the large, open gym, the child did not disclose the alleged abuse for more than a year — she testified she’s guarded with her emotions and did not feel comfortable telling anyone — and the family has a “motive to testify,” Marshall said.
Playing out behind the scenes is a pair of pending federal lawsuits against the facility, Singer and a former supervisor. One was filed by the parents of the gymnast who said Singer abused her.
“What (the child) said he did to her — specifically, putting his finger inside of her vagina — that did not happen,” Marshall said. “Whether that’s a product of (the child) specifically lying about what happened four years ago or whether it’s because she misremembers due to the time; maybe people have gotten into her head, she is exaggerating the problem she had with Mr. Singer. It doesn’t really matter. Mr. Singer did not do this.”
Singer, 27, of New England, is accused of spotting the teenage gymnast — who is from a suburb of Chicago — improperly during a 2019 drill at the camp.
The teen’s mother testified her daughter disclosed the alleged abuse to a friend in January 2021. She testified her daughter seemed “broken” while explaining what happened. A 16-year-old testified her close friend seemed “rattled.”
The teen, who is now 17, is no longer a gymnast. She’s a competitive cheerleader that hopes to attend Clemson University to pursue a degree in business or construction management.
Her mother testified earlier that her daughter’s endgame was once to earn a gymnastics scholarship. Gymnastics, the teen testified, was “all I wanted to do.”
“I was constantly in a state of anxiety,” the teen testified. “... I had horrible nightmares. I could not do every day life without freaking out. A lot of that affected my mom and our relationship that year.”
She added: “We fought a lot.”
Singer was suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport — a center tasked with investigating sex-abuse claims in Olympic sports — for sexual misconduct in July 2020. He was ruled permanently ineligible in May to be a member of USA Gymnastics.
Prosecutors rested their case Thursday after five people testified. Marshall, who intimated Singer is expected to testify, is set to present his defense Friday.
Singer remains free; his bail is set at $50,000 unsecured. His trial is scheduled to conclude Friday.
This story was originally published January 26, 2023 at 4:30 PM.