A six-month CNN investigation finds that 35 Disney employees have been arrested in connection with child sex crimes since 2006. Although the 35 people arrested did not prey on children who were actually at Disney World theme parks, the revelations still pose a startling reminder that one doesn’t know where danger lurks.
In sex-crime stings, much like what many people have seen in the T.V. show “To Catch a Predator” with Chris Hansen, Lake County Sheriff’s Cyber Crime Unit arrested men for soliciting sex to minors and, in some cases, found that the suspects allegedly downloaded child pornography. The occupations of the suspects vary from security guards, tour guides, performers, maintenance workers, and costume makers.
Thirty-two of the suspects have been convicted while the remaining cases are still pending.
Using self-descriptions like “Big Teddy Bear for younger chaser,” people like 40-year-old Allen Treaster attempted to lure who he thought was a 14-year-old boy. In reality, he was courting a decoy created by Florida’s Polk County Sheriff’s detectives. During his interrogation, treaster admitted to driving all the way up to Georgia to have sex with an actual underage child at least three weeks before getting caught by the sting operation.
Other arrests of the 35 include Cedric Cuthbert, the night shift custodial manager at Disney’s Port Orleans resort. Cuthbert downloaded child pornography while simultaneously writing a sermon for the church for which he was a pastor.
Watch the CNN investigative report below:
