I've written before about the saga of Indiana politician David Snyder, who has been under fire for allegedly being a "deadbeat dad."

Snyder wrote to me, asserting that his child support arrearage (which he claimed was $60,000, not $90,000 as previous reports indicated) was caused by a combination of factors which will sound familiar to many of the divorced dads among my readers.

These include: child support based on an income well beyond what Snyder was actually earning; unequal division of marital property; legal bills; periods of unemployment or underemployment; his ex-wife using the legal system to tie up and then destroy his business; and stiff penalties and interest on the arrearages.

In the middle of all of this Snyder says he contracted cancer. He also claims that his ex-wife alienated his children and poisoned them against him.

I don't know if all of this is true, but I’ve received thousands of letters from fathers telling me the same types of stories, so his claims are certainly plausible. To learn more, click here.

According to news reports,  Snyder was recently jailed until he borrowed $10,000 from friends to get out. The article appears below. The only thing in the article which really contradicts Snyder's version of the events is the 2003 Jaguar--if anybody knows the details on that, please let me know.

Snyder pays $10,400 for early release--Roseland Town Council member was jailed for failure to pay child support
South Bend Tribune, 7/27/07

Roseland Town Council member David Snyder decided to pay some of his back child support and was released about 4 1/2 hours after he was sent to jail Thursday.

Probate Court Magistrate Rochelle Cotter ordered Snyder to serve 45 days in jail after finding last month he was in contempt of court for nonpayment of child support.

She said he could be released early if he paid $10,400, or 10 percent of the amount he owes.

Snyder was taken into custody immediately after a court hearing at the Frederick Juvenile Justice Center.

Cotter ordered a sentence of 90 days in the county jail, but suspended 45 days of it.

Snyder was released shortly before 3:30 p.m.

"A lot of people who care deeply about David came to his rescue, said his wife, Dorothy, regarding the sum she put together to free her husband. 'We expect to pay it back, We don't know anyone who's independently wealthy."

Borrowing money is what they had to do in 2005, she said, when Snyder had to pay $11,250 or go to jail.

During Thursday's hearing, Cotter emphasized her main intent was to get support paid for Snyder's two sons in Austin, Texas, a 17-year-old and a disabled 19-year-old.

"We have to start somewhere. This case is out of control," Cotter said. She emphasized that she intended to treat Snyder the same as she treats anyone else in a child support case. Deputy Prosecutor Michaelene Machowiak reported that according to Texas records, Snyder's arrearage totaled $104,545, as of July 1.

Snyder's attorney, Frederick Ettl, told Cotter that his client had been unable to work in real estate, the field he knows best, since the state revoked his license earlier this year because of action initiated by the St. Joseph County prosecutor's office.

Snyder has lost $48,000 in commissions he could have applied to his child support since his license was lost, Ettl said.

Snyder is required to pay $1,300 a month in child support, plus $500 toward the arrearage, under the court order from Texas.

"He can go out and get a job," Cotter told Ettl.

When Snyder responded he had been consulting in real estate development but had not been paid, Cotter praised his efforts. But, she said, she wanted Snyder to earn a paycheck from which support could be deducted and to do the consulting work at night or weekends.

The only support Snyder has paid regularly this year is $191 a month from his salary as a Roseland Town Council member.

The purpose of Thursday's hearing was to sentence Snyder on Cotter's prior contempt of court ruling.

That process began in February when Machowiak filed documents stating that Snyder had failed to follow prior court orders regarding his payments and required documentation of his income.

Machowiak requested a 180-day jail sentence or payment of $50,000 to clear the contempt finding.

She also reported to the magistrate that Snyder had failed to comply with a court order to supply certain bank records, 2005 and 2006 tax returns, and the California contact of a bank based in London that he uses.

"It seems like you're hiding something if you don't turn it over," Cotter told Snyder of her impression of his reticence to provide information.

"I'm not hiding anything," asserted Snyder, who said his 2006 taxes were not yet done.

During the discussion, Machowiak stated that Dorothy Snyder had bought this year a 2003 Jaguar and a house at 130 Weber St. in Roseland.

"If he's so concerned about his children, shouldn't family resources be used in supporting the children?" Machowiak said.

In response to questions, Snyder said he drove the 2003 Jaguar.

After the hearing, Dorothy Snyder accused St. Joseph County Prosecutor Michael Dvorak of trying to benefit politically from her husband at the expense of his sons, by taking away Snyder's ability to earn a living.

"They have singled him out ... they are not treating him fairly, not like anybody else," she said.

"I think Judge Cotter had an agenda and had decided it (the sentence) before she walked in," David Snyder said Thursday after his release, citing Cotter's body language.

"I was really dismayed at her decision," Snyder said, "How can I raise any money or provide what she wanted when I'm in jail?"

Both Snyders said they believe the national child support collection system needs to be changed.

"It's stealing money from our children," David Snyder said of money parents spend to hire lawyers to go to court.

At the age of 55, Snyder asked, where can he get a job where he could take home $1,800 a month plus enough to live on.

Cotter's order as approved Thursday by Circuit Judge Michael Gotsch give Snyder 24 hours to turn over the financial documents sought.

A compliance hearing is set for Sept. 24 to determine how Snyder is doing. 

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 29th, 2007 at 2:04 am and is filed under Family Law, Child Support/Child Support Enforcement, Divorce/Separation/Child Custody, Bills/Initiatives, Elections, Politics, Court Cases. You can trackback from your own site.