« Police Try To Identify Registered Sex Offenders Among Evacuees | Main | Guilford Teacher Charged With Sex Activity With Child »
September 14, 2005
Kids' Chess Master Arrested On Sex Assault Charges
Robert Snyder Owns Chess For Juniors
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A well-known chess instructor for kids was arrested Tuesday on charges of sexual assault and police said they are looking for more potential victims.
Robert Michael Snyder, 51, of Fort Collins, Colo., is listed as the "Senior Master" with Chess for Juniors. Its Web site lists it as "one of the nation's largest and most active private chess clubs for youth."
Police said they began a "lengthy investigation" after they received complains from children attending Snyder's chess camps about inappropriate touching and behavior by Snyder. Investigators also interviewed children and their parents and then obtained enough information for an arrest warrant.
Snyder was arrested Tuesday afternoon at a shopping center in Fort Collins. He was jailed on two counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and two counts of sexual assault on a child -- pattern of abuse. The alleged assaults occurred at his home on Silver Creek Drive in Fort Collins, according to police.
According to a recent article in the Fort Collins Coloradoan, Snyder also travels the world with children so they can participate in chess tournaments. According to a Denver Post article from February, Snyder has a children's playground in his back yard called "Fort Chess."
Snyder is author of several chess books published by Random House, which includes the bestseller "Chess For Juniors," and has written articles for "Chess Life" and "School Mates" magazines, according to his Web site.
Police said they are continuing their investigation and would like anyone with information about this or other potential incidents to contact Detective Kim Cochran at (970) 224-6090.
Snyder was being held on a $750,000 bond in the Larimer County Detention Center Tuesday afternoon. His booking photo was not released.
Posted by Nealus at September 14, 2005 12:19 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
