A former Disney’s Animal Kingdom retail cast member is accused of stealing from a Disney Springs store and then disguising her appearance while authorities were in hot pursuit, according to newly released records.
Cast Member Caught Stealing
Cynthia Elizabeth Molina, 28, of Orlando, has pleaded not guilty to grand theft and robbery stemming from her June 12 arrest.
The Orange County Sheriff’s incident report said she stole 100 items from World of Disney worth $2,193. Authorities found “Mickey Mouse plush, pencils in a variety of colors, various stationery pouches, jewelry consisting of bracelets and necklaces and other trinkets, phone straps and additional Walt Disney World miscellaneous items” in Molina’s bag.
A World of Disney cast member noticed Molina “standing near the jewelry area with a large reusable bag” and “ripping locked up bracelets off the hooks and placing them in her ‘already very full bag,’” the incident report said.
The store employee alerted her manager, and the two began following Molina. The manager confronted Molina then “touched her right arm (which was holding the bag) and advised how she needed to pay for the merchandise,” the incident report said.
Molina “shrugged him off as she left the store,” the incident report said. The manager said Molina pushed him so he decided to back off and contacted Disney Security instead.
The store’s surveillance captured when the manager “lightly taps the back of her right arm (the same side holding the unpaid merchandise) and she is seen brushing off his hand despite him being in Disney uniform, with badge and credentials being worn,” the incident report said.
Dressed in a Toy Story shirt, Molina left the World of Disney shop and headed to Raglan Road, a Disney Springs restaurant and Irish pub.
The store employee spotted two Orange County Sheriff’s off-duty deputies just as Molina emerged from Raglan Road wearing a different shirt and her hair up in a bun.
Both the retail employee and her manager identified it was Molina, despite the changed look, who they believed was stealing from the store earlier.
“Let it be known Cynthia was a prior cast member at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. She worked in retail and was familiar with Disney’s policy concerning retail procedures, and more importantly theft as well as the uniforms worn by cast members and leads/supervisors,” the arrest report said.
Molina refused to answer questions when the sheriff’s department tried to ask questions although she accused the manager of touching her first. Molina requested video footage in the store to prove it.
She was arrested and taken to the Orange County Jail. Her lawyer did not comment for this story.
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