LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Body camera video from Orange County sheriff's deputies shows the moments when a man's camping adventure at a shuttered Walt Disney World park came to an end earlier this year.
Deputies said Richard McGuire, 42, set up camp at what was once Discovery Island in April, according to WKMG. All Disney parks and resorts were closed at the time due to COVID-19.
The body cam footage was posted to YouTube by Orlando CBS affiliate WKMG.
The video shows Orange County deputies searching in the air, in the water and on the ground for McGuire. They looked around Discovery Island for more than an hour before they say a marine unit found him and ordered him to come out. According to law enforcement, McGuire took a boat toward a deputy, who helped him get out before placing him in handcuffs.
McGuire reportedly told the deputies he had just moved to Central Florida from Alabama. One deputy joked, "there's easier ways to apply to work for Disney," before informing McGuire that Discovery Island is a restricted property. Numerous "no trespassing" signs also surround the park to let people know to stay out.
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Deputies say McGuire told them he planned to "quarantine" at the former zoological park for a week. He has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor trespassing charge. In a recent YouTube video, McGuire told viewers he is banned for life from Walt Disney World.
While all Disney parks were closed for about four months this year because of the pandemic, Discovery Island has not been open since 1999. The park, which sits in the middle of a lake, was home to animal exhibits and walking trails before Disney shut it down.
