Glendora man pleads no contest to sex offenses

POMONA -- A Glendora man accused of engaging in sex acts with three underage boys pleaded no contest to 10 felonies today as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors.

David Earl Snyder, 53, entered his pleas in Pomona Superior Court as part of an agreement that carries a one-year jail sentence and a five-year period of probation.

If Snyder violates his probation, his plea agreement calls for him to be sentenced to eight years in state prison.

Snyder was arrested May 1 following an investigation by the La Verne Police Department. He pleaded no contest this morning to all of the 10 felonies filed by prosecutors on June 25.

The crimes include four counts of oral copulation of a minor, one count of sodomy of a minor, two counts of possession of child pornography, and three counts of contacting a minor for a sexual offense.
Prosecutors alleged the crimes took place between Sept. 1, 2008 and the date of Snyder's arrest.
Snyder's conduct was first reported to La Verne police by the parents of one of Snyder's sexual partners, a 16-year-old boy, who found text messages on their son's phone from Snyder, according to a search warrant affidavit written by Detective Christopher Dransfeldt.

Dransfeldt wrote that the 16-year-old boy said he met Snyder through Grindr, a social-networking application for the iPhone used predominantly by gay men.

The boy told the detective he had two sexual encounters with Snyder, and also sent him nude photos and videos of himself, according to the affidavit.

As part of his plea agreement, Snyder will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

During his period of probation, he will be barred from having any unsupervised contact with minors, and he will be permitted to use a computer and the Internet only for his work.

"Probation (officers) will be checking his computer," Commissioner Wade D. Olson said. "And if they find something not involved with his work he'll be going to prison."

Snyder was taken into custody at the end of the hearing, and will return to court Nov. 9 for sentencing.

Snyder's 23-year-old son, Brian Michael Jones, said he's disappointed that his father received what he considers a light sentence.

"He's going to re-offend," Jones said. "I can't believe they're letting him off like this."

Jones, who claims his father molested him when he was a toddler, called his father a "sexual predator" and said he believes there's a 50-50 chance Snyder will violate his probation.

During a brief pause in Snyder's court hearing, Jones, who was sitting in the audience, tried to get Olson's attention to discuss his father's plea agreement.

"Your honor," Jones said.

Olson responded: "No, I can't talk to you. Sorry."

Snyder's attorney, John Murray, said he believes Snyder might be released from custody after serving three or four months.

He said Snyder is "not a bad guy," and was misled by underage boys who said on Grindr that they were adults.

"They're very aggressive," Murray said. "They're going after people who are over 18."