Chess teacher sentenced for fleeing to Belize instead of registering as sex offender in Colo.

Convicted sex offender sentenced for fleeing

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A youth chess teacher who moved to Belize when he was supposed to be serving probation in Colorado as a convicted sex offender has been sentenced to 12 years to life in prison.

Robert Snyder was sentenced Tuesday in Fort Collins.

Snyder spent two years in jail in a pedophilia case and was supposed to register for special sex-offender supervision after he was released in August 2008. Instead, authorities say, he fled the country.

Authorities tracked him down last year in Belize after he was featured on the television show “America’s Most Wanted.”

Larimer County District Judge Dave Williams says Snyder used his expertise at chess to lure boys and their families into his confidence.

Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan, www.coloradoan.com