Kingston Township police arrest man for soliciting minor

Ed Lewis, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 25—KINGSTON TWP. — Township police arrested a Schuylkill County man on allegations he solicited who he believed was a 14-year-old girl for sex.

David James Snyder, 50, of Ashland, engaged in a series of online communications and text messages that were sexual in nature with an undercover officer posing as the teen girl, according to court records.

Snyder sent nude pictures of himself including a video performing a solo sexual act to the girl while strongly encouraging her to meet for sexual encounters, court records say.

Snyder was arraigned Sunday by District Judge Ferris Peter Webby Sr. of Wright Township on five counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of criminal use of communication facility. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $350,000 bail.

According to the criminal complaint:

An officer posing as the teen girl on a social media site received a message stating, "Hi," and "How are you" on Oct. 26.

The person who sent the message, identified as Snyder, stated he was from Schuylkill County and asked the girl for her age, in which she answered, 14.

Snyder suggested the two begin sending text messages giving the girl a phone number, telling the girl she was "cute" and "sexy," the complaint says.

When police contacted authorities in Schuylkill County in early November, they learned a video reportedly of Snyder titled, "Predator Pulls Badge out on me like a Cop," was posted on Luzerne County Predator Catcher's Youtube channel.

Snyder continued to send text messages to the girl with many of the messages of him wanting sexual encounters with her, the complaint says.

"I really wish you would send me a pic or two tho (sic) put me a little more at ease babydoll. I'm the one who will end up in jail tho (sic). If anyone's life could be ruined, it would be mine," Snyder allegedly texted to the girl.

Police in the complaint say Snyder encouraged the girl to send him undressed pictures of herself while he allegedly sent nude pictures and a video of himself performing a lone sex act.