ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A 51-year-old man is accused of groping a princess character at Disney World on Saturday, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
- Man accused of groping princess character at Magic Kingdom
- Brian Sherman, 51, accused of grabbing cast member's breast
- The incident happened during a character meet-and-greet
Brian Sherman, of Orlando, and his wife were visiting Magic Kingdom shortly after noon, according to an arrest affidavit. The two went to the grotto area to take pictures with one of the princess characters. The affidavit doesn't specify which Disney princess.
As they were getting ready to pose for pictures, Sherman shouted that the princess was "his favorite," a deputy wrote. Sherman then put his right arm around the shoulder of the employee, who "looked visibly uncomfortable."
The cast member's coworkers, which included a character attendant, suggested a different pose for Sherman so that he would remove his arm from around the cast member.
Sherman moved his arm lower and cupped the cast member's right breast with his "right forefinger and thumb," the affidavit said. The only thing between Sherman's hand and the cast member's breast was the "skin-tight fabric" of her costume, according to the affidavit.
After the cast member's coworkers directed Sherman to move his hand, he removed it from the woman's breast and "slipped it back around her shoulders," the affidavit said.
A Disney PhotoPass photographer took pictures of Sherman as he posed. The pictures were used to identify him, deputies said.
When Sherman left the meet-and-greet location, the cast member began "shaking and crying," according to the affidavit.
The character meet-and-greet location was closed immediately after the incident.
The cast member told deputies she wanted to prosecute and would testify in court.
Sherman was arrested and charged with battery.
Sherman is a registered sex offender, according to state records. In 1991, he was convicted of sexual battery on a person under the age of 12, records show.