A Massachusetts police detective was arrested at Walt Disney World last month after he allegedly shoved a deputy and threatened to kill Cast Members while he was holding a child apparently intoxicated.
According to an Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit, Duane Danforth was arrested and charged with battery, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer without violence after the incident occurred at EPCOT on the 30th January, 2024.
Danforth, a Brookline Police Department detective who was off-duty at the time of his arrest, has been placed on paid administrative leave, Police Chief Jennifer Paster told Fox 35 Orlando in a statement. Pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the incident, Danforth will remain on leave.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the United Kingdom Lochside event space in reference to a battery at approximately 9:00pm. When they arrived, they met with a Cast Member who was working a private event and said a man, later identified as Danforth, tried to enter the area, according to the affidavit.
The Cast Member told Danforth that he needed to go around, but he returned and allegedly started to remove the ropes. “I’m going to f**king kill you,” Danforth allegedly told the Cast Member twice, before removing the ropes and pushing him aside, according to the affidavit.
A second Cast Member, who witnessed the incident, said Danforth “had a crazy look in his eyes and appeared intoxicated,” the affidavit said. He added that Danforth “had a young girl in his left arm.”
Another Cast Member was called to the area, and several witnesses showed him videos they took of the incident, which showed Danforth allegedly pushing Cast Members out of the way and storming through the crowd.
Following the incident, deputies were informed and told to keep an eye out for the man matching Danforth’s description. When a deputy tried to make contact with him, Danforth “intentionally struck” the deputy and pushed him away, the affidavit said. Danforth was eventually taken to the ground and handcuffs, although he resisted multiple times.
Danforth told the deputies that he knew the deputy was working as a law enforcement officer and said he “should not have pushed”, the affidavit said. He reportedly said the deputies approached him from behind, which the deputies have denied. Danforth was treated for minor injuries and was released before being transported to the Booking and Release Center.
Danforth has since been released after his bond was reduced to $10, according to Orange County court records. The special conditions of his pre-trial release include not being able to return to EPCOT and surrendering his firearms/weapons, but was allowed to return to Massachusetts. Stay tuned for further updates.
Stay tuned to Orlando Theme Park Zone for more Orlando theme park-related news and information.
H/T Fox 35 Orlando
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