A delegate is accused of indecently assaulting another delegate at a Center City hotel during the Democratic National Convention in July.
Walter Weeks, a Bernie Sanders delegate from Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, turned himself in to the Philadelphia Police Department’s Special Victim’s Unit Wednesday around 4 p.m. He is charged with indecent assault.
Gwen Snyder, a 30-year-old Bernie Sanders delegate, told Philly.com that the incident occurred at the bar of the Doubletree Hotel on Broad and Locust streets back on July 27 around 3 a.m. Snyder said Weeks was intoxicated and asked her for a hug. Weeks told Philly.com she declined but then reluctantly placed her hands lightly on his shoulders after he persisted. She then accused Weeks of grabbing her in a bear hug and forcing his face into her cleavage.
“He was performing something like cunnilingus near my nipple,” Snyder told Philly.com.
Snyder reported the incident to Philadelphia Police but was told by detectives that the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office declined to pursue her case, according to City & State PA. Snyder later wrote an open letter to Vice President Joe Biden and Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton describing her experience.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office confirmed they initially declined to file charges in the case but then decided to charge Weeks after “further investigation by the DAO including a review of additional video and eyewitness testimony.”
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
