Child abuse remains a huge problem in Western North Carolina, and statistics released last week show that reported cases of abuse in the region are among the highest in the state. Mathew Nash, an admitted serial child abuser now in prison, agreed to discuss his crimes with a reporter. Authorities involved in his case say his story is rare. More often than not, abusers don’t admit they have a problem and therefore do not voluntarily seek counseling or other means of help.


It has been said that there is nothing lower than a child molester.

We’ve all heard the attachments: they are worse than serial killers, living vermin, pond scum, disgusting predators who deserve to be thrown under the jail forever, then throw away the key.

Just like with drug addicts, sex offenders, alcoholics and other compulsive forms of behavior, the universally accepted solution for child molesters is to punish the offender and treat the victim. Next case.

But what else is being done to combat these problems besides caging people? A Dateline television program in the early 1990s chronicled a Texas child molester who pleaded to be castrated. He said he had a terrible compulsion and knew he would molest again once he was a free man. Suddenly molesters were seen as addicts, people who could not control their desire for children.

I began researching to find out what is being done to prevent these offenses from occurring before the fact. I found that little to nothing is being done.

The first thing I discovered is how uncomfortable the topic is, even among professionals. In Western North Carolina, I telephoned eight mental health offices between Waynesville and Asheville and left multiple messages with a number of psychologists. I received just one comprehensive response  from Dr. Lynn Barrett of Waynesville, who was gracious enough to discuss the issue. Another local psychologist returned my call and said the best treatment for a potential child molester was group therapy. When I questioned the logic in that, he became uncomfortable and wished not to be quoted. The other six never called back.

My questions were simple: What is being done to identify people with these proclivities before they offend? Is there a way of luring them from the closet and getting help for them before they harm a child, or, as the case may be, another child? As with drug addicts and alcoholics, is there a 1-800 number that a potential child molester can call for help, in confidence, when they are feeling a sense of conscience?

The answer is no.

“It is extremely difficult to identify a molester before he molests,” said Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed.

After 30 years in law enforcement, I can vouch for that. But does that mean it’s impossible, that we can’t reach out to even a small percentage of potential molesters who may be struggling with their impulses and their conscience, those who are unwanting but wanting. And if we could provide those avenues, how many kids would be spared lifelong psychological problems in the wake?

There are sex offender treatment programs, but they usually apply to offenders after they’ve victimized a child and then entered into the criminal justice system. Potential offenders rarely, if ever, seek help for fear of the horrible stigma. In this day and age, it’s not such a bad thing to admit being a drug addict or an alcoholic. Contrary to years past, gays are emerging from the closet every day without stigma. But to admit a sexual compulsion for children invites the ultimate badge of infamy. No other behavior draws the same wrath of society — not treason, not torture, not even murder.

According to Dr. Barrett, offenders can seek counseling on their own, but once they admit to committing an offense against a child, doctors are compelled to report the incident to authorities. Therefore, the offenders who sincerely want treatment and help cannot get it unless they’re ready to accept a long-term prison sentence.

Unable to find specific expertise in Western North Carolina, I contacted psychologist Doris Stiles-Glazer, Ph.D., of Miami, who has been working with sex offenders and victims for more than 25 years in counseling therapy.

“It is one of the saddest situations I’ve ever worked with,” said Stiles-Glazer. “Studies at Johns Hopkins University have shown it is worse than any other addiction. It’s worse than heroin or cocaine.”

I asked her about preventative measures.

“There are a huge number of offenders that can be controlled, but it takes years of intensive work. Part of the treatment is that they never place themselves among children, and they have a sponsor to talk with. It’s like an addict struggling to get sober. The best prevention is to identify addicts and get them into treatment while they are young.”

I asked who were the most vulnerable victims.

“Little girls are molested more inside the family. Little boys are more often molested outside the family,” she said.

After talking to Dr. Stiles-Glazer and others, I interviewed a convicted child molester who is currently spending six years in the state penitentiary for seven counts of taking indecent liberties with a child.

Mathew Alan Nash, 28, is a devout Mormon who is spending six years in a North Carolina penitentiary after being convicted of seven counts of taking indecent liberties with a child. The offenses took place in Western North Carolina over a period of two years. Nash was convicted in a Macon County court.

He was sent to North Carolina from Utah as a missionary. In that role, he engendered the trust of adults and children alike. He says he is riddled with guilt about his offenses, and he talked openly about his problems. What follows is Nash's responses to several questions, but the questions have been taken out so it reads like it is just him talking.

“I grew up in a dysfunctional family. Every dysfunctional family has the potential to have a murderer, a rapist, a child molester.

“I started between the ages of 12 and 16, living in Utah. I knew I had a problem then.

“I was baby sitting. The girl that I fondled woke up. My best friend’s little sister. The family agreed not to prosecute if I agreed to treatment. I was already in treatment for depression and anger control, but that center could not handle this, so they sent me somewhere else.

“I was paranoid of being a homosexual. The center never did get to the heart of the matter.

“I’m working through the D.A.R.T. program now, (drug and alcoholic recovery treatment) that’s a rehabilitation program for all addicts. If I had been in a program like this before, I know I wouldn’t be here now.

“I’m an alcoholic. Have been since I was 17.

“I was always very heavy. I had no self esteem. When I came to prison, I weighed 360 pounds. I’m 5-foot-11.

“The only love I ever felt was from a child. Kids love missionaries. Unfortunately, I used that to my advantage. I went out of my way to go to certain people’s homes, who trusted me.

“No, I don’t blame alcohol. I don’t blame my mother or father. There is no one to blame but myself.

“I was a virgin until the age of 26. And when I had my first ‘normal’ relationship with a woman, all I wanted was the sex. Nothing else. It only lasted two weeks. She got sick of it. I’ve never been with anyone else.

“I wouldn’t want surgical castration. But I would agree to chemical castration. I never want to do this again. I never want to see another child hurt.

“God gave me so many chances to repent. I was so caught up in what I wanted to do, I didn’t listen to God.

“I was feeling so much guilt, but I couldn’t stop myself. It’s like a serious alcoholic who knows how bad it is to keep drinking, but he does it anyway because he likes it too much, but at the same time, he hates it. It’s weird. The same with a heroin addict or any other addict. I knew what I was doing was wrong and that it was hurting people. Most addicts are very selfish people. I am a sex addict.

“The American Medical Association classified alcoholism and drug addiction as a disease, just like hepatitis or anything else. This is an addiction, only mine is sexual.

“I told Erin (the two-week girl friend) what I had been doing before her. She told me I needed to get help. I said OK. Every place I called said they don’t treat sex offenders. I asked if they could help me find a place that does. They said no. I made about five calls. This was in Salt Lake City.

“I went to a bishop in Salt Lake City and told him. He told me I was forgiven. I felt good about that, because I had rationalized in my mind into believing I was OK, because I had been forgiven. It was a way out. After that, I didn’t feel like I had a problem any more.

“I did end up going to a family counseling center where I told the group. And they all said I should turn myself in. Because of what the group said and what the counselors said, I decided the only right thing to do would be to report it and get these kids help. I was fortunate enough to go to an AMAC meeting (Adults Molested As Children). That’s where adult women who had been child victims were lined up and I admitted what I had done. It was fascinating, because it gave me such an insight into the victim’s mentality and what they were going through. I couldn’t help but feel good about going to the authorities. It was the only way I could truly repent.

“I want to clear up one thing for sure. I don’t want to be considered a victim. That’s the worst thing for me. Even if I was victimized as a child, that’s fine. I’m a survivor today.

“Had there been something like a 1-800 number to help child molesters, I think I would have called.

“The problem is, when a sex offender turns himself in, he basically hangs himself. There is no amnesty of any kind.

“Saying I’ll never do this again is like an alcoholic saying he’ll never drink again. I will do everything in my power with the help of God never to do this again. I plan on heading back to Salt Lake City after I get out and enroll in a sex offender program there.

“I hope I wouldn’t be released today, because I want to go through the S.O.A.R. program (for sex offenders).

“I will have to change my lifestyle. I can’t go to bars any more. I hadn’t even thought about going back into a ministry. I can’t go to a park, alone, the rest of my life.

“I would love to be part of a program where sex offenders could come to me and say, ‘I’ve got a problem,’ and I could be counselor in such a program. I want to help every man and child out there so that they’re never abusers or abused themselves. For every child that’s abused, the statistics go up for that child becoming an abuser.

“I don’t think this is a curable problem. It’ll probably be with me the rest of my life. But it can be controlled. Every day, I will have to deal with my addictions, one day at a time.

“No, I don’t fantasize about children any more.

“I wish I knew how the victims are doing. The last I heard, there was only one family seeking help, and the rest of them weren’t getting their kids any help. That bothered me.

“I realize I’ll always be seen as a sex offender and a convicted felon in the eyes of the public. I’m dealing with it. Everyone has problems, mine happens to be horribly bad.

“If I had received real treatment when I was 16, if people paid attention and hounded me then, it’s likely there would never have been another victim. I was easily identified then.”

“I’m a good guy. The problem is, I have this disease.”

Matt Nash has a boyish smile and a charming way. Kids were drawn to his amicable manner. I have known many criminals in my 30 years in law enforcement, some incorrigible, some not, many the outgrowth of circumstance, emotional distress or affliction. As I walked from the prison grounds, I had a sense that Matt Nash is a criminal who wants to change himself. Let’s hope he succeeds.

(Marshall Frank is a retired Metro Dade law enforcement officer and a writer who lives in Maggie Valley. He can be reached at mlf283@aol.com)



Wondering if a child abuser lives in your neighborhood?
• The North Carolina Sex Offender Registry provides a photograph, criminal record and current address of all conviced sex offenders by county. The website address is sbi.jus.state.nc.us\sor\

Do you suspect a child is being abused?
• Contact a local law enforcement agency or Department of Social Services.North Carolina law requires citizens to report cases of child abuse.

Want help?
Several agencies in Western North Carolina provide help and services for victims of sexual and physical abuse and their families:
• Haywood County — Kids Advocacy Resource Effort (828.456.8995)
• Jackson County — Adults Working and Advocating for Kids Empowerment (828.586.3574)
• Macon County — Kids Place (828.524.3199)
• Swain County, Qualla Boundary — SAFE Inc. (828.488.6809)