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Man Banned From All Disney Properties After Caught Camping On Deserted Island

By Michael Bamidele

02 May 2020   |   4:07 pm

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A man has been arrested and banned from all Disney properties after he was spotted camping at Disney World’s Discovery Island while the resort is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Richard McGuire, 42, from Mobile, Alabama was arrested on April 30 after he was spotted camping on Walt Disney World's Discovery Island by the…

Disney World’s Discovery Island | Image: The Star Tourist

A man has been arrested and banned from all Disney properties after he was spotted camping at Disney World’s Discovery Island while the resort is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Richard McGuire, 42, from Mobile, Alabama was arrested on April 30 after he was spotted camping on Walt Disney World’s Discovery Island by the resort’s security. He was charged with a misdemeanour for trespassing.

Orange County officers conducted a search by foot, boat and helicopter and eventually found him. Despite the police using a megaphone to try to speak to McGuire, he apparently didn’t hear them because he was sleeping inside one of the buildings on the island. He referred to the island as a “tropical paradise,” according to the arrest report.

“Richard stated that he had made entry to the island to go camping on Monday or Tuesday and had planned on staying on the island for approximately one week,” Robert Ricks, an Orange County police officer, wrote in the report.

McGuire also told Ricks that he was “unaware” that he was trespassing when he was on the property. Although, there were multiple “no trespassing” and “private property” signs on and near the island.

Discovery Island is an 11.5-acre island in Bay Lake, Florida. The island opened as Treasure Island on April 8, 1974, as a place to observe wildlife, and was later renamed Discovery Island. It is located on the property of Walt Disney World in the city of Bay Lake, Florida. Between 1974 and 1999, it was an attraction open to guests, who could observe its many species of animals and birds.

Currently, all Disney theme parks and water parks are closed ‘until further notice’.