ClickOrlando.com Reports
A 60-year-old man was found guilty on Tuesday of groping a woman while she was in costume as Minnie Mouse at Walt Disney World.
John Moyer, who is a grandfather, was sentenced to 180 days of probation, 50 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine. He also must undergo a mental health evaluation and write a letter of apology to the victim.
After the verdict, Moyer continued to maintain his innocence in court.
Moyer groping Minnie Mouse
"I'm not guilty," Moyer told the judge. "I haven't, as the prosecution says, molested or grabbed -- maybe unintentionally touched, but that's as far as it went.
John Moyer The Mouse Louse
Moyer was charged with misdemeanor battery in June after being accused of touching the woman's chest and buttocks in the Toontown area of the Magic Kingdom.
Prosecutors said during the trial that photographs show the Disney cast member pushing Moyer's hands away from her after he touched her.
"It doesn't matter she was grabbed. She's just a mouse," prosecutor David Bear said, arguing against the defense. "It's not just a mouse. It's a person."
Moyer's attorney argued that the photos only prove his client was having fun while on vacation from Pennsylvania with his family.
The woman playing Minnie Mouse said she did not yell for help because she feared that she could lose her job for being out of character. She did report the incident after Moyer left the area, according to investigators.
Sheriff's deputies tracked Moyer down by using photographs and arrested him.
In court, prosecutors said Disney characters are no different than servers at restaurants.
"It's not OK to go to the diner and pinch a waitress' butt anymore, and it's not OK to go to a theme park and pinch a character's butt," Bear said.
The defense countered by saying that there were nine other people in the room, including Moyer's family and other Disney employees who are assigned to watch over the characters, and none of them witnessed anything inappropriate.
"The state wants you to believe this man, in front of all these people, molested this woman. No one saw it. It was never caught on camera," said defense attorney, Zahra Umansky.
Moyer faced a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The incident is not the first time a Disney character has been at the center of a groping investigation.
In 2004, a man who played Tigger at the theme park was accused of fondling a 13-year-old girl while in costume. A jury found Michael Chartrand not guilty and Disney welcomed him back to work, but he has since returned home to England.
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