Man Arrested After Posing as Disney World Employee to Steal R2-D2 Replica
Written by SOURCE on July 3, 2022
A Florida man has been arrested after he posed as a Disney World employee and stole a $10,000 replica of the iconic Star Wars character R2-D2.
ABC’s Central Florida affiliate WFTV reports David Emerson Proudfoot, 44, of Kissimmee, was arrested on May 31 after he snatched the droid from Disney World’s Swan Hotel in an attempt to get hired as a security guard at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
According to police, Proudfoot was seen by hotel security pushing a cart on the property while wearing an orange work vest and a Disney World name tag. Security guards, who suspected something suspicious was taking place, subsequently escorted Proudfoot to the Yacht Club Resort to retrieve his belongings and driver’s license from the employee lockers, at which point Disney officials called law enforcement.
Proudfoot allegedly told police he had a pending application with Walt Disney World Security, and only was moving the R2-D2 replica in an effort to “show weaknesses in the security of the resorts,” with the hope of landing a job at the resort. He also later admitted to breaking into three separate arcade machines at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk Resort, and the Grand Floridian Resort.
Proudfoot has been charged with two counts of grand theft, one count of petit theft, one count of obstruction by false information and one count of scheming to defraud. According to court records, he made a written plea of not guilty on June 24.
