Photos show costumes, props, other items stolen from Disney World

Patrick Spikes, 24, of Winter Garden, faces several charges

ORLANDO, Fla. – Photos of Disney costumes and other props that were stolen from the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom were released Wednesday by authorities.

Patrick Spikes, 24, of Winter Garden, a former Disney employee was arrested in May on allegations of stealing and selling $7,000 worth of costumes from the Haunted Mansion, according to an Orange County Sheriff's Office arrest affidavit.

Spikes, who faces charges of burglary of an occupied structure, dealing in stolen property and grand theft, has pleaded not guilty.

[PHOTOS: Stolen Disney costumes, other theme park items]

One series of photos shows a pink, two-piece costume, possibly taken from an audio animatronic character, labeled, A.A. Magic Kingdom Haunted Mansion. Other photos show a woman, identified as a friend of Spikes, wearing the costume. 

In another set of pictures, a Disney trash can is in the garage of a home and Disney ride manuals are in the trunk of a car.

Sheriff's officials said Spikes used his Disney employee ID to get into Magic Kingdom on July 31, 2018. He was then caught taking a photo in the utility area, a restricted area for employees only, officials said.

Disney security investigators told authorities they were aware of Spikes taking pictures backstage while he was employed. The affidavit shows Disney said Spikes had photos on his phone of other animatronics that were stolen.

A photo on Spikes' phone showed merchandise that had been stolen from the Haunted Mansion, officials said.

In a video also released by authorities, investigators confront Spikes about the photos.

"How about this? I'm about to walk out and if you guys want to talk, I'm going to come back with my attorney," Spikes said.

"OK. Keep the car there. We're keeping your phone," a detective replied.

At that point, the video shows Spikes grabbing for his phone and investigators tackling him.

"Am I under arrest?" Spikes asked as he was on the ground. "I'm not under arrest or am I under arrest?"

Later, Spikes asks if he can call his mother.

"You're an adult, correct?" the detective asks him.

"Yeah," Spikes said.

"I'm not calling your mom. Stay there, OK?" the detective said. "You have simple instructions. You don't want to follow them, so we're going to do that. But you're not going to destroy evidence." 

On April 26, investigators contacted a man who said he bought Haunted Mansion merchandise from Spikes, according to the affidavit. The man told police Spikes said he had been able to obtain the items from Disney with permission, according to the affidavit. 


About the Author:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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