Florida man, 44, arrested after stealing items from Disney resorts

Florida man, 44, is arrested after admitting to stealing items from Disney resorts, including a $10,000 ‘R2-D2’ statue – but claims it was because he had applied to be a security guard and wanted to expose gaps in the company’s security system

• David Proudfoot, 44, was arrested while posing as Disney staff at the Swan Reserve Hotel just outside of the Epcot section of the theme park on May 31
• A search of his home found at least $730 in additional stolen Disney property 
• Proudfoot was charged with grand theft and obstruction by false information
• Disney hasn’t responded to Daily Mail inquiries about whether Proudfoot had applied for a security position 

A Florida man who was arrested for stealing items from Disney resorts – including a R2-D2 statue estimated at roughly $10,000 – claimed he only did so in order to bolster his ‘pending application’ to serve as a security guard for Disney.

David Proudfoot, 44, was arrested while posing as Disney employee at the Swan Reserve, just outside the theme park’s Epcot section, on May 31.

Once discovered by police, he admitted to stealing the Star Wars statue as well as a game machine.

Proudwater told police he wasn’t stealing the items, but claimed he was only trying to expose the weaknesses in the resort’s security to support his purported job  application. 

A search of his home found at least $730 in additional stolen Disney property, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Proudfoot was booked on charges of burglary, petty theft, third-degree grand theft, and tampering with a coin-operated machine and schemed to defraud. 

Disney hasn’t responded to Daily Mail inquiries about whether Proudfoot had applied for a security position, and if so, whether he was still in consideration. 

David Proudfoot, 44, was arrested while posing as Disney employee at the Swan Reserve, just outside the theme park’s Epcot section, on May 31

Proudfoot admitted to removing an R2-D2 statue worth as much as $10,000 from the Swan Reserver Hotel, but claimed the was only doing so to expose weaknesses in the resort’s security

Hotel staff called police to report suspicious activity after they witnessed Proudfoot wearing a reflective orange vest and work pants while pushing a cart across Epcot Resorts Boulevard and into the hotel parking lot in the early hours of May 31, according to the police report.

Confronted by police, Proudfoot gave authorities a false name and said he was an employee of the resort, then led them to a staff locker room at the nearby Yacht Club Resort where he said his belongings were. 

After pretending to search for his locker for some time but being unable to open the one he claimed was his, police asked Proudfoot for his identification; he provided them with a Florida’s driver’s license showing a false name. 

Cops transported Proudfoot back to the Swan Reserve Hotel, where he admitted to stealing the R2-D2 statue and also an arcade game machine.

Proudfoot also owned up to breaking into three arcade machines at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, the Grand Floridian Resort and the Wilderness Lodge, according to police.    

Search warrant in hand, police found a number of items in Proudwater’s Kissimmee home that were reported to have been stolen between May 13 and 14 from the Fort Wilderness Lodge and the Sturdy Ranch Health Club. 

Those items included a number of light fixtures and a towel cabinet that Proudwater had repurposed to house a stolen arcade machine. 

Proudfoot is also suspected of an overnight break-in at the Polynesian Resort on May 30. 

The Disney World Swan Reserve hotel where Proudfoot lifted the R2-D2 statue from, along with an arcade game

Proudfoot posed as a member of Disney staff, and when confronted led police to a staff locker room at the Yacht Club Resort where his story quickly fell apart

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