A Florida man has been arrested for impersonating a Disney World employee and stealing multiple decorative pieces which included a $10,000 R2D2 statue.
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David Emerson Proudfoot was arrested earlier this week after investigators identified him as a grand theft suspect who stole from the Swan and Dolphin Hotel last month. On May 31, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office responded to a called about the theft after Proudfoot was spotting pushing a large cart and appeared to be “confused.” Deputies said he was wearing a a gray t-shirt, beige work pants, and a high visibility orange work vest” with a Walt Disney World name tag. However, Proudfoot also provided his date of birth and home address after he was questioned by deputies.
According to investigators, he allegedly claimed he was assigned to move items from one location to another and failed to provide employee identification.
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“David proceeded to wander through the back areas of the hotel. [A]t one point we crossed over to the Beach club side of the resort complex. David got lost another time, backtracked and was finally able to locate a case [sic] member locker room. Once inside the locker room he went to a row of lockers in the ‘800’ section. He appeared confused and could not remember for [sic] find a locker where he left his things.”
An arrest affidavit said Proudfoot attempted to open one of the lockers several times but was unsuccessful. Shortly after, he confessed to moving the items in order to prove Walt Disney World had a weak security system due to having easy access to steal the items.
“He had an application for Walt Disney World Security pending and was moving the items to show weaknesses in the security of the resorts in the hope of securing a better paying job at WDW,”
The suspect told deputies that he had no intention on stealing the items but investigators revealed that thousands of dollars worth of items were stolen from the park within the past few months. Various stolen items included multiple light fixtures that were ripped off from bathrooms, a wooden towel cabinet, and a gold necklace and were find in Proudfoot’s home after deputies obtained a search warrant.
“Based on the information obtained during the investigation, it is believed that David Emerson Proudfoot did commit the offense of grand theft in that he did, to wit; 1.David Proudfoot knowingly and unlawfully obtained the towel cabinet and light fixtures belonging to Walt Disney World Resorts. 2.He did so with intent to, either temporarily or permanently, a.deprive Walt Disney World Resorts of their right to the property or any benefit from it, and appropriate the property of Walt Disney World Resorts to his own use . b.the value of the property taken was $5,000 or more but less than $10,000.Due to the fact David Proudfoot is still being held within the Orange County Jail, these additional charges will be added to his current booking.”
SOURCE: Law and Crime