Tourists arrested for taking a "joyride on stolen Epcot golf cart"

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
What I want to know is how they found the golf carts in the first place. Disney doesn't exactly leave random golf carts sitting around. They must have gotten backstage or something. This is very stupid though.:confused:
Other than backstage, it may have been a horticulture vehicle outside the park near to International Gateway. I have seen them in that area. I am guessing that there was a CM in the area who had hopped out of the cart for a moment.
 

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
Other than backstage, it may have been a horticulture vehicle outside the park near to International Gateway. I have seen them in that area. I am guessing that there was a CM in the area who had hopped out of the cart for a moment.

I stand corrected. My friends at the Sentinel have dug up some details.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ot-golf-cart-arrests-20130528,0,2051001.story

The Orlando Sentinel said:
Two beer-toting tourists from the Northeast stole a golf cart at Disney's Boardwalk entertainment area early Sunday and went on a dangerous joyride, deputies said.
Micheal Kulesza, 38, of Massachusetts, and Donald Rossi, 33, of New York were charged with grand theft and have since bonded out of jail.
Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office were patroling at Disney's Boardwalk near Epcot when they spotted two men speeding in a golf cart while making a ruckus and forcing people to jump out the way.
"They were yelling, shouting, and laughing as they drove past where we were standing. They were obviously not Disney Cast Members,'' a deputy wrote in a report.
The deputies were standing near the Dance Hall and Jellyroll bars when they saw the car driving in "a reckless manner" toward a bridge leading to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort.
"They rounded the corner fast enough to cause the extended golf cart to almost tip over,'' the report said.
"I gave immediate pursuit and caught the subjects at the back entrance to the Swan Resort."
The men apologized after the deputy told them to get off the golf cart.
"The driver, holding one beer, was identified as Defendant Donald Michael Rossi Jr. The passenger, holding two beers, was identified as Defendant Michael Kulesza,'' the report said.
A restaurant employee told deputies he parked the golf cart and left it while removing trash from the eatery. He saw two men drive off with the $6,000 vehicle.
The men continued to apologize as they were taken to jail.
 

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
I would have enjoyed Epcot a lot more if I shelled out crazy amounts of money to be drunk.

But I live in Pittsburgh. There's a church sandwiched between a minimum of two bars per block. I can get drunk at 5 AM here. Or, 11 pm. Or anywhere between. I didn't want to be drunk on my (expensive) vacation.
 

luv

Well-Known Member
Disney needs to be careful... while offering alcohol is good for $, bad PR like this won't help the child/family vacation spot atmosphere
They're more concerned with selling booze than maintaining a "family" atmosphere or running parks that have class.

These guys were just drunks who took a golf cart for a joyride. They had no intention of stealing it and keeping it from its rightful owner. They aren't car thieves. I think they were stupid, but also think it's a little crazy to charge them with Grand Theft.

If Disney doesn't want drunken behavior, they should quit pushing booze. If they want to keep selling booze, they need to treat drunks like drunks and not like serious thieves.
 

tissandtully

Well-Known Member
They're more concerned with selling booze than maintaining a "family" atmosphere or running parks that have class.

These guys were just drunks who took a golf cart for a joyride. They had no intention of stealing it and keeping it from its rightful owner. They aren't car thieves. I think they were stupid, but also think it's a little crazy to charge them with Grand Theft.

If Disney doesn't want drunken behavior, they should quit pushing booze. If they want to keep selling booze, they need to treat drunks like drunks and not like serious thieves.


Nah, they were old enough to know the consequences, the judge will see that it isn't as serious as the charges are though, and they will learn a lesson. I think that's what it takes. They are lucky they didn't get shot.
 

asc341

Member
Original Poster
I never thought that "drinking around the world" culture took away a whole lot from the family atmosphere of the park. I've seen people drinking, but I've never seen anyone get out of hand (maybe out of pure luck.) As a child who frequented and adored Epcot, I have no memory of drunk people at WS, and if they were there, it certainly didn't deter my parents from taking me to the park again.

Seems to me like these two men are outliers in the Epcot drinking community, not the norm.
 

Timekeeper

Well-Known Member
Here's a photo of the perps

3373377959_7faffca79c.jpg
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom