Disney’s ‘princess’ and the ‘perv’
Visitor groped park character: cops
He’s no Prince Charming. A Florida man was busted for allegedly groping a Disney princess at a theme park — while his wife was sitting right next to them, authorities say.
Brian Sherman, 51, left the princess “shaking and crying” after he “cupped and lifted” her right breast during a photo op in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando on Saturday, his arrest affidavit alleges.
In an effort to protect the alleged victim’s identity, the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office redacted the name of the specific Disney character — even blacking out what costume she was wearing.
But the affidavit did note that the incident took place at the “grotto” — a meet-and-greet location for Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” where a rotating cast of staffers dress as the red-haired character from the kids’ movie classic.
“The defendant was very excited” as soon as he saw the princess, telling her he loved her and she was his “favorite,” the arresting officer from the Sheriff ’s Office reported.
Sherman and his wife then sat down in a way that left the princess feeling “physically” stuck between the duo, the report says.
“The defendant repeated how much he loved” the princess as he put his arm around her shoulder — leaving her “immediately uncomfortable with the defendant’s touch but unable to move,” the report says, noting Disney had trained the woman not to let fans touch her. “The victim looked down and saw the suspect’s right hand on her right breast,” even as two co-workers tried to intervene, the affidavit says. Sherman then “cupped the victim’s right breast with his right forefinger and thumb with only the thin skin-tight fabric in between her breast” and his hand, she told deputies.
“The defendant cupped and lifted the victim’s right breast for approximately three to four seconds,” the affidavit claims.
“When the defendant left the room the victim began shaking and crying,” the papers state.
The photographs for which Sherman and his wife had posed were used to ID him.
He was booked into the Orange County Jail on a battery charge before being released on a $500 bond.
A lawyer was not listed on court records and he did not respond to requests for comment, the Orlando Sentinel reported.