Not Guilty Verdict in DNC Indecent Assault Case

A Delaware County man was acquitted of indecent assault during the Democratic National Convention yesterday by a Philadelphia judge.

Gwen Snyder, a 30-year-old West Philadelphia resident, told authorities 74-year-old Walter Weeks hugged her and licked her breasts at a hotel bar at 2 a.m. on Wednesday of the DNC. “I’m sorry. We’re still friends, right?” she told Philadelphia magazine he said when she pushed him away.

Snyder said she thought the Democratic National Committee ignored her when she attempted to report Weeks. “I was never put in touch with anyone trained to deal with sexual violence,” she said. “After a reporter gave them the heads-up about me, a couple of DNC staffers did contact me to take a report, but didn’t make any commitments and didn’t seem willing to involve me in discussions about assault policies moving forward.”

Weeks’ lawyer, Michael J. Engle, told the Inquirer he believed the D.A.’s office only filed charges due to “political correctness and pressure.” District Attorney Seth Williams at first declined to charge Weeks, but later changed his mind.

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