Disney World employee busted after posting photos of stolen memorabilia online
Maybe he was the real Dumbo at Disney.
A former Disney World employee accused of stealing $7,000 in memorabilia was arrested after posting photos of the missing items online, according to authorities.
Patrick Allen Spikes, 24, became a suspect when his Twitter profile included pictures of valuable items two months after they were swiped from the theme park in Orlando, Florida, according to the arrest affidavit.
He became combative when questioned about the photos of “Buzzy,” a character missing from the “Cranium Command” attraction at Epcot, leading to an initial charge of resisting arrest, the records show.
A search warrant of his home and phone then turned up photos of stolen Disney wigs, skirts and jackets, according to the document.
He is accused of also using his Disney employee ID to access underground tunnels to get to Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion, where some of the costumes were stolen.
Financial records showed that Spikes received about $30,000 via PayPal from two buyers, according to the affidavit, with police saying the missing items were far more valuable on the black market.
One of the buyers returned 18 items that Disney World said had all been stolen, according to the document.
Detectives say they are still investigating and trying to track down the rest of the items that have been documented as stolen.
Spikes was shown smirking in his mugshot as Orange County Sheriff’s Office charged him with burglary, grand theft, and dealing in stolen property.
Disney said the case was a “law enforcement matter.”
Photo Credit: nypost.com/Orange County Sheriff’s Office