SAN JOSE – Police on Monday arrested a 50-year-old Lyft driver they say arranged to have sex with an undercover San Jose police officer posing as a 13-year-old boy on the dating app Grindr.
The suspect, identified as Kevin “Donovan” Snyder of San Jose, first contacted the officer through the app on Dec. 10, said San Jose police Sgt. Enrique Garcia in a news release Tuesday. The officer, Garcia added, told Snyder he was 13, but Snyder continued to communicate with him and asked to switch social media platforms to Instagram.
Garcia said Snyder communicated with the undercover officer over the next six days and told him he wanted to “engage in sexual activity” with him. The San Jose resident also sent the officer pictures of his genitalia and videos of him masturbating, Garcia said.
At one point, Snyder revealed that he worked for the ride-hailing service Lyft and offered to pick up the undercover officer in his capacity as a driver to “avoid suspicion,” Garcia said. Snyder, Garcia added, arranged such a meeting in Campbell on Monday.
Police arrested Snyder when he arrived and booked him into Santa Clara County jail on felony charges of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes, sending harmful matter to a minor and communicating with a minor to engage in a lewd and lascivious act.
Snyder, who remains in custody on $100,000 bail, is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Anyone with information about the incident or similar incidents can contact Detective Michael O’Grady at 408-537-1381.
Those wishing to remain anonymous can leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867) or svcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.