Man Accused of Stealing Buzzy's Clothing from Disney World Arrested

[flynnibus]

Generally speaking, I totally agree with @flynnibus -- Disney wants to avoid being the big bad prosecutor of the little guy.

But in this case, Spikes is not at all a sympathetic character -- he's an adult (not a kid) from a well-off family who broke his employer's rules, got himself fired, started a well-documented and juvenile vendetta with the company online, and to top it all of stole and sold Disney's property.

What about any of that is sympathetic? And I think it's easy to capture these facts in short soundbites like on Twitter.

It’s an easy story to tell if you want to.... but the juice in the story is Disney sues kid for huge money for stealing some trivial clothes.... the web isn’t obligated to tell both sides, nor is spikes is a bad kid story worthy of clicks. So they won’t tell that angle with the same vitriol.

What everyone keeps missing is the facts don’t matter when spinning a story for emotional outrage. You don’t lead with the justification... you lead with the outrageous emotional hook and that’s all it takes.

And everyone under 25 is a kid IMO... you’re still figuring things out.

 

[larryz]

With that, I do believe that within the burden of proof especially with the lack of documentation that we have which the OCSO has —which again is part of multiple ongoing investigations— that it’s unlikely that the buyer knew the items were stolen to begin with.

At some point, one has to consider the reputation... or notoriety... of the person offering the merchandise for sale. Prudence would dictate that anything offered by a self-admitted "urban explorer" should be treated at best as suspect and at worst as hotter than a Tampa lightning bolt.

 

[flynnibus]

There is judgement that goes into sentencing. The judgewill be considering all his taunts and lack of remorse and the fact that he clearly has no intentions of changing his behavior. He will spend at minimum one year in prison. Possibly more. If not, I will be incredibly surprised and worried for our justice system.

More than that if convicted on the 3 felonies.

You should read up on Florida’s mandatory minimum sentencing rules. Here’s a lawyer’s explaination - http://macklawpa.com/criminal-defense/felony-score-sheet - and the raw material http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/sen_cpcm/index.html

Btw... the burglary charge alone is a first degree felony which alone would exceed the limit requiring mandatory prison time.

 

[flynnibus]

Looking at the Umansky Lawfirm website, they advertise recent criminal case results and seem to do a good job of Getting clients off easy for theft. Granted I don't know if in these other cases the clients completely documented themselves with the stolen merch in photos.
View attachment 374302View attachment 374303
With his smugness if BDD gets off with a slap on the wrist, he'd probably go right back to what he was doing. Though as others have stated there's still a chance Disney can file a civil suit, go for the wallet.

Theft is the least of the charges he faces... that’s only a third degree felony. The fencing and burglary of the occupied structure are the two big charges he faces... first and second degree felonies. The burglary one is the heavy hitter.

 

[GhostlyGoofy]

It’s an easy story to tell if you want to.... but the juice in the story is Disney sues kid for huge money for stealing some trivial clothes.... the web isn’t obligated to tell both sides, nor is spikes is a bad kid story worthy of clicks. So they won’t tell that angle with the same vitriol.

What everyone keeps missing is the facts don’t matter when spinning a story for emotional outrage. You don’t lead with the justification... you lead with the outrageous emotional hook and that’s all it takes.

And everyone under 25 is a kid IMO... you’re still figuring things out.

But the story is deeper than just stealing some clothes. He fabricated false ID badges... (which he was kind enough to document creating with photos of the process). On the kingdomcast podcast he boasted about buying an $800 ID badge printer. (Again thanks for the evidence.)Had an accomplice disguise himself as a technician. And the Haunted Mansion clothes appear to be just a sample of what was stolen based on police reports.

This was a well-off adult employee, who put a lot of thought into orchestrating these heists. His arrogance is ultimately what will sink him.

 

[Dragonman]

Don’t forget Hypothalamus is stolen too. That’s two animatronics worth $$$$$$ lying in someone’s hands. (Although Buzzy is more advanced)

 

[celluloid]

And everyone under 25 is a kid IMO... you’re still figuring things out.
[/QUOTE]

You can feel that way, and in many ways I can understand where in hindsight, 24 years old is dang young, but not figuring out the wrong of theft and bragging about your thefts and wrongs is not an everyone under 25 is a young kid trying to figure out the world situation. We need to talk about the mental health of Spikes.

 

[Daisy4eva]

But the story is deeper than just stealing some clothes. He fabricated false ID badges... (which he was kind enough to document creating with photos of the process). On the kingdomcast podcast he boasted about buying an $800 ID badge printer. (Again thanks for the evidence.)Had an accomplice disguise himself as a technician. And the Haunted Mansion clothes appear to be just a sample of what was stolen based on police reports.

This was a well-off adult employee, who put a lot of thought into orchestrating these heists. His arrogance is ultimately what will sink him.

Exactly, all you have to do is look at the headlines right now to show that no one is looking at him as some innocent kid. This is the juicy story that is bringing in clicks:

Former Disney employee arrested for stealing $14G in costumes and props from Magic Kingdom
Disney World employee busted after posting photos of stolen memorabilia online
Former Disney World Employee Allegedly Stole Over $14K in Items From Theme Parks: Police

 

[glawio]

Dragonman did mention this, this is the photo of Buzzys head Patrick posted on Twitter last Sunday, but not sure if it was stolen by Patrick or just in the backstage area.

Why on earth would you make me look at this again?!

BDD released a podcast recently where he talked about knowing the person who took Buzzy's gloves (For clarification, the molded rubber hands he had were replaced fairly early on because they were getting worn out from the mechanics of the AA, and were replaced with the brown fabric gloves, the brown gloves is what I'm talking about), and the person had bragged about them, so he knew who they were, yet mysteriously had no way to contact this person anymore. He said he was going to post pictures of the gloves but never ended up doing it.

Apparently, his gloves had been stolen in 2012 and he sat there with his cool robo hands for quite some time.

Orrrrrr this could have been a big cover-up to take the suspicion off him...Who freaking knows anymore?

 

[flynnibus]

But the story is deeper than just stealing some clothes.

Duh. But that’s not what was being discussed. The topic was Disney’s exposure in the land of public opinion, specifically in the age of social media.

Maybe people don’t realize it... but stories are written and constructed in the way to gain the most attention and clicks. The objective is to get the click... not necessarily be the most accurate. Sites live and die based on their traffic... so whatever fuels that is what works it’s way into the way content is structured.

And for content focused on social media sharing... that is taken to the extreme. The purpose is to structure you content to invoke an emotional response that resonates and aligns with a predisposition in the market. “Evil corporations” is a buzz.... so let’s write a story that shows evil corps in action! And millions will see that story, say “yeah... evil corps suck!” And share it not because it’s the most accurate telling of something...but because it reenforces a belief they have. Most don’t even read the full story... or want to know more... they just see the main hook of the action that supports their predisposition and that’s all they need.

That’s how all this half-truth political crap, or sharing of racial coverage, or discrimination, or hate crimes, or any other inflammatory topic people feel strongly about has such legs on the Internet and why they dominate Facebook feeds... the purpose of those pieces is to fan and hook into those emotional energies.

That is the market companies have to navigate these days when looking at public opinion and perception. It doesn’t matter how justified Disney is... the optics of Disney filing a civil suit against some kid are not good and Disney only stands to lose more than they can gain. Disney will struggle to control the narrative against these market forces and it has nothing of real value to gain from pursuing it. It has nothing to do with how right or justified Disney is... but everything about avoiding making yourself into an easy exploitation target.

 

[GhostlyGoofy]

Duh. But that’s not what was being discussed. The topic was Disney’s exposure in the land of public opinion, specifically in the age of social media.

Maybe people don’t realize it... but stories are written and constructed in the way to gain the most attention and clicks. The objective is to get the click... not necessarily be the most accurate. Sites live and die based on their traffic... so whatever fuels that is what works it’s way into the way content is structured.

And for content focused on social media sharing... that is taken to the extreme. The purpose is to structure you content to invoke an emotional response that resonates and aligns with a predisposition in the market. “Evil corporations” is a buzz.... so let’s write a story that shows evil corps in action! And millions will see that story, say “yeah... evil corps suck!” And share it not because it’s the most accurate telling of something...but because it reenforces a belief they have. Most don’t even read the full story... or want to know more... they just see the main hook of the action that supports their predisposition and that’s all they need.

That’s how all this half-truth political crap, or sharing of racial coverage, or discrimination, or hate crimes, or any other inflammatory topic people feel strongly about has such legs on the Internet and why they dominate Facebook feeds... the purpose of those pieces is to fan and hook into those emotional energies.

That is the market companies have to navigate these days when looking at public opinion and perception. It doesn’t matter how justified Disney is... the optics of Disney filing a civil suit against some kid are not good and Disney only stands to lose more than they can gain. Disney will struggle to control the narrative against these market forces and it has nothing of real value to gain from pursuing it. It has nothing to do with how right or justified Disney is... but everything about avoiding making yourself into an easy exploitation target.

People also react and hate seeing the Over-privileged get away with crime. Look at the "Affluenza Teen," Ethan Couch.

 

[Tom P.]

It’s an easy story to tell if you want to.... but the juice in the story is Disney sues kid for huge money for stealing some trivial clothes.... the web isn’t obligated to tell both sides, nor is spikes is a bad kid story worthy of clicks. So they won’t tell that angle with the same vitriol.

What everyone keeps missing is the facts don’t matter when spinning a story for emotional outrage. You don’t lead with the justification... you lead with the outrageous emotional hook and that’s all it takes.

And everyone under 25 is a kid IMO... you’re still figuring things out.

If you are 24 and are still having trouble figuring out how Roth IRA's work, that's understandable.

If you are 24 and are still having trouble figuring out that you don't steal things, that's a problem.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

And everyone under 25 is a kid IMO... you’re still figuring things out.

That's actually quite true. We don't reach mental "maturity" until around the age of 27-28. And even after that age, new neural connections are still being formed and trimmed constantly.

HOWEVER...at age 25, everyone - except those with severe developmental disabilities or mental health issues - knows the difference between right and wrong.

This reeks of a case in which a child was allowed to get away with way too much growing up and got used to mom and dad's money bailing them out...and now they've entered the big-time by not just breaking the law, but by committing and documenting felonies and thinking it's hilarious.

 

[Demarke]

Why on earth would you make me look at this again?!

BDD released a podcast recently where he talked about knowing the person who took Buzzy's gloves (For clarification, the molded rubber hands he had were replaced fairly early on because they were getting worn out from the mechanics of the AA, and were replaced with the brown fabric gloves, the brown gloves is what I'm talking about), and the person had bragged about them, so he knew who they were, yet mysteriously had no way to contact this person anymore. He said he was going to post pictures of the gloves but never ended up doing it.

Apparently, his gloves had been stolen in 2012 and he sat there with his cool robo hands for quite some time.

Orrrrrr this could have been a big cover-up to take the suspicion off him...Who freaking knows anymore?

As to the theft reports related to Buzzy's hands and clothes, I theorized on the old thread that, given the descriptions, they likely had a storage locker somewhere in the vicinity that contained the back up and/or retired wardrobe (hands and a red jacket that would match up with the short-lived original look were mentioned in the incident report attached below) and equipment that was probably what was stolen. Now that we know the HM props weren't stolen off the animatronics, but rather from the storage locker rotation, it makes sense to me that there was probably a similar storage bin at WoL and some or all of the Buzzy items likely were taken from it.

(from "Buzzy's Been Stolen?" thread January 21, 2019)
Here's a conspiracy theory that I haven't seen mentioned yet, what if the clothes and hands that were stolen were the old version jacket and hands and an extra or possibly old green hat that had been replaced at some point (i.e. not the clothes that were still on Buzzy)?

The theft report (thumbnail attached below) states that sometime between August 1 and August 8, someone entered a backstage, off-limits area of the Wonders of Life and stole a red bomber jacket, rubber molded hands and a green military-style cap from Buzzy. The report states the area where Buzzy is kept wasn't very secure, as there are many points of entry because the building was still being used by festival vendors and contractors.

So, would it make sense that maybe the old or replaced outfits for the Buzzy animatronic were left in box somewhere backstage that someone found and stole? Since the jacket was reported as red (not used since the original prototype) and the animatronic hasn't had or used rubber hands in years, I think it may be more likely that the clothes theft in question was some "explorer" finding a box of old extra components/outfits/etc somewhere in a control or storage room area and sticking what they could into their bag and making their way out of the building. The police report mentions custom clothing was removed that adorned the retired character, but doesn't necessarily infer that it was removed from off of the animatronic. Given the info about the hands and red jacket, it would make more sense to me that older items were stolen from a storage area, rather than someone climbing up to the animatronic and then figuring out a way to articulate the robot to remove the jacket without being able to power it and doing so without causing enough noise to attract attention.

 

[flynnibus]

You can feel that way, and in many ways I can understand where in hindsight, 24 years old is dang young

I make that generalization because in my experience... that is the period where young adults are still finding their way. They’ve moved on from college life, they’ve been exposed to what it means to try to support yourself, live outside your parents roof, maybe even had some serious relationships or a few post hormone boom, and generally be looking at opportunities that are looking at your future... not just where you are right now.

It’s about exposured, the kinds of life choices you face, and where you are looking...

At 18 you are mostly physically mature... but most suburban types are not thrown in the deep end yet... nor have they really seen the ups and downs of real life relationships

At 21-22 you’ve got some responsibility... but you’re doing more on your own, but you likely still have significant support around you or can still be in the shelter of college. Relationships seem more forever.. and you should be looking at the future... but most still live in the now.

At 25... the college shelter is over... survival requirements have separated people... people are living in the world that is looking forward... not back. They’ve probably seen some highs and lows in relationships and they usually are not still on the parents teet. Realities like credit history... how do I afford big expenses... etc

That’s why I say under 25 is still a kid. It usually takes that long for the “college first” generations to get rounded out to being people that have gotten the full immersion and are working to stand fully independent in all aspects of life.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Don’t forget Hypothalamus is stolen too. That’s two animatronics worth $$$$$$ lying in someone’s hands. (Although Buzzy is more advanced)

I’ve heard from multiple people that archives took him. Looks like a much more professional removal beyond his lift system, so that’s my going theory

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

The head posted isn’t his actual head, that’s his face mold. I presume that mold was also stolen, but it always could’ve been salvaged from the trash too

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

So they won’t tell that angle with the same vitriol.

Disagree bc he is SO unsympathetic.

What everyone keeps missing is the facts don’t matter when spinning a story for emotional outrage. You don’t lead with the justification... you lead with the outrageous emotional hook and that’s all it takes.

Not missing that at all! Just disagree with how it would be spun. Headline here is former employee repeatedly steals from Disney — and his LUDICROUS trail of flaunting behavior on social media provides plenty of snapshots.

And everyone under 25 is a kid IMO... you’re still figuring things out.

Disagree!! Brain is fully formed past early 20’s — and anyone at that age (long before!!!) knows you don’t steal. Come on now.

 

[NormC]

Don’t forget Hypothalamus is stolen too.

Is it? Or is it just missing?

 

[GhostlyGoofy]

Disagree!! Brain is fully formed past early 20’s — and anyone at that age (long before!!!) knows you don’t steal. Come on now.

Agreed. He was an adult and this wasn't a case of Street Rat steals loaf of bread to eat.

This was; adult Male went on Amazon bought a plastic card printer, fabricated fake employee IDs, burglarized, and fenced private property.