Third Molester This Month Arrested @ TL

[Ed]

Third reported incident @ TL; I find this one to be particularly troublesome:



Man arrested at Disney water park on lewd molestation charge

Susan Jacobson
Sentinel Staff Writer
12:18 AM EDT, July 17, 2009

A man is being investigated on sex-related charges after visiting an Orlando-area water park, the fifth such incident in a month.

David Thomas, 29, of Mountlake Terrace, Wash., was arrested late Thursday on a charge of lewd molestation. A 13-year-old boy told his father that Thomas touched his buttocks through swim trunks in a wave pool at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, said Sgt. Rich Mankewich, head of the Orange County sheriff's sex-crimes unit.

It's the third arrest in less than two weeks on sex charges related to behavior at Typhoon Lagoon.

Thursday about 5 p.m., the father and a lifeguard saw Thomas touch five other adolescent boys, but none complained to deputies, Mankewich said.

Thomas was on vacation from his Seattle suburb with a 15-year-old boy with whom he has lived for a year and known for five years. The teen was doing poorly in school, so his mother thought it would be good for him to live with Thomas, a family friend, Mankewich said.

Detectives plan to charge Thomas today with one count of molestation of the 15-year-old. The two had been staying at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort for a week. The Florida Department of Children and Families took custody of the youth, who will be returned to his mother.

Thomas, who investigators said works at Amazon.com, admitted touching boys at Typhoon Lagoon as an "experiment" and because he was "curious," Mankewich said. He offered to write letters of apology to the children but would not discuss the 15-year-old.

Thomas told detectives he was molested himself as a child. He was taken to the Orange County Jail about 10:45 p.m. and will be held without bail until a court hearing today.


If there is any "silver lining", it's obvious that the TL staff and Orange County deputies are being attentive to this problem and taking swift, decisive action.

[Itchy]

Here, Here. Great work on the part of the CM's and Sheriffs Dept.

Maybe they should start a tally board at the entrance to the water park.

Law Enforcement 5 Molesters 0

Would be molesters enter at your own risk, violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law.

[aprilisis]

That is absolutely disgusting. I just don't understand how people can do anything like that. I wish there was an easier way to keep them away.

[DVC2004]

This is disgusting! Sounds like TL is turning into the new perv hang out. I can't believe how many occurrences. After the first arrest, wouldn't you think it would deter? Instead it seems to have attracted or inspired other wierdos. How terrible. I just feel so sorry for all these kids that have had thier lives changed by this disgusting individuals.

[bigoldkid]

If I was the Dad of the Boy, when the police came after the molester. They would of had to take him to the hospital first. But I would of said,(Go figure he must of fell a couple times.) Good for the Disney staff. I guess I would not be a good candidate to work for Disney. Like I said, I would of handled him a little bit different. Sorry folks, that kind of stuff just get me the wrong way.

[2Epcot]

All of these incidents are sad, but I feel really bad for the kids directly involved. Instead of having happy thoughts of Disney they will have these kind of memories.

[Lizzy]

Your right Ed, this one is particularly disturbing. :(

[Scar]

Thomas was on vacation from his Seattle suburb with a 15-year-old boy with whom he has lived for a year and known for five years. The teen was doing poorly in school, so his mother thought it would be good for him to live with Thomas, a family friend, Mankewich said.Excellent judgment Mom. :thumbsup:

I wonder what her house is like for his to be a step up. :rolleyes:

[It'sWDW4me]

Excellent judgment Mom. :thumbsup:

I wonder what her house is like for his to be a step up. :rolleyes:

She's probably completely clueless - this is how these people work. They get in the good with parents of children so much so that the parents think "he couldn't possibly do that".

SPECULATION ALERT: I wonder if this "family friend" has been abusing the boy for a while? Poor performance in school could be a symptom of the real problem.

Anyway, I'm sure that all of the CM's are on high alert as are all the guests who know of these recent attacks. Hats off to everyone for bringing this scum down so quickly!

[DisneyFanaticDargon]

Without going into too much detail, from personal knowledge of things I've been told this happens MUCH more often than you'd think. The difference is that these people got caught. Many former lifeguards have told me they've seen or heard reports of stuff like this, but the culprit mysteriously vanishes into thin air before anything can be done.

Kudos to the diligent CM's, family members, and law enforcement who are clearly having an impact on issues like this. Awareness is the first step towards major change.

[ThanxForNoticin]

Law Enforcement 5 Molesters 0

Would be molesters enter at your own risk, violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law.

I truly wish I had confidence in your assessment here, but I don't. I'm very, very concerned that DisneyFanaticDargon is closer to the truth. Even though we've heard several of these deviants being caught, I can't help but think there are a lot more who don't get caught. That just gives me such a sick feeling.

[wjrhw]

On a related note, we were considering moving to Florida someday and I researched people who were convicted of committing a felony against a child. There are free websites that show maps of where these people live, their picture, the crime they committed. They are everywhere in Florida. In comparison with other places it is disturbing how child offenders seem to congregate in Florida.

[Itchy]

I truly wish I had confidence in your assessment here, but I don't. I'm very, very concerned that DisneyFanaticDargon is closer to the truth. Even though we've heard several of these deviants being caught, I can't help but think there are a lot more who don't get caught. That just gives me such a sick feeling.


I understand how you feel, but we need to put these folks ( it thats what we should call them ) on notice that big brother is watching.

I applaude the fact that the law enforcement and disney folks are really trying to get on top of this. I know that a large number of incidents go unreported and unnoticed for the most part.

Still we should make all of the successful arrests brought to the fore front in a effort to put these folks on noticed that we are watching.

[Dixie Springs]

The frequency of this type of incident is pretty bizzare. I'll say one thing- next time I'm in the wave pool, I'll have a good 5' people-free circle around me. I wouldn't want to be on either side of this type of story. Don't want to accidentally bump into anyone, and don't want to be bumped into!

[crazypoohbear]

Excellent judgment Mom. :thumbsup:

I wonder what her house is like for his to be a step up. :rolleyes:

Please don't pass judgement on the mom until you know the whole story.
She may have very well been duped by this guy as well.
These creeps are usually very good at spinning tales and preying on insecurities.
If this mom thought that being a single mom raising a teen boy and he started acting out, failing, skipping school etc. He could have volunteered to be the "man" in his life and turn him around.
Many women think that boys NEED a man in order to be well rounded. this is not the case and sometimes the "man" can do more harm than good.
Please think how she might have felt getting this phone call from FLA.
He could have been a trusted family friend and she could have thought she was doing the right thing.
Remember the priest abuse scandal in boston?!
how many mom's turned their children over to the priests thinking it was going to help???? :(

[Mousemates]

Well, that blows my whole line of thought concerning my hopes that the highly publicized arrests of a couple of these pervs would make others think twice about their actions...I guess a mind twisted and ugly enough to do this kind of thing tends to lack the ability to reason in that way.

I hate this kind of stuff and can't imagine what it must be like not just for the kids who were victimized, but also the parents who were just trying to "be good moms and dads" and take their kids someplace for a little fun. I wish laws in this area were stricter and punishments longer to help keep the bad guys out of circulation.

[nicster]

This makes me wonder how much of this sort of thing goes unreported? With all of the people legitimately being thrown around in places like the wave pool, would an innocent child know when it was more than that, like the other boys that did not report being touched??

[gueli]

You know, I have to give them credit. The fact that they caught so many...Way to go OC Sheriffs and disney lifeguards/security.

It does make me wonder if dateline's to catch a predator is going to set up shop near disney...

And I hope that they get prosocuted, convicted and sent to jail for a long time- a similar note a guy on long island was just sentenced to 35 years for molestation.

and bigoldkid- I understand- but realize that the actions you state could land you in jail also. Its best to let the other convicts handle the pervs...

[LibertyTreeGal]

Speaking sadly from personal experience, often when something like this happens to a youngster, you are immediately shocked and terrified and often just do not know what to do (and training doesn't always help). You start to blame yourself, second guess yourself, and then you rationalise it away because it is easier. And if you do not believe your parents or the authority figures around you will support you, you will just blow it off. So I figure it happens a lot more than we know but everyone is hypersensitive right now, which can be good or bad if it goes too far.

Everyone figures they know exactly what they would do if it happened to them, but real life is always different.

[gueli]

Speaking sadly from personal experience, often when something like this happens to a youngster, you are immediately shocked and terrified and often just do not know what to do (and training doesn't always help). You start to blame yourself, second guess yourself, and then you rationalise it away because it is easier. And if you do not believe your parents or the authority figures around you will support you, you will just blow it off. So I figure it happens a lot more than we know but everyone is hypersensitive right now, which can be good or bad if it goes too far.

Everyone figures they know exactly what they would do if it happened to them, but real life is always different.

so very true.
it is a reason to help support the victems as much as one can.
thanks for the well stated p:thumbsup:oint.

[kemps@wdw]

I think we all would like to think that someplace as pure and magical as WDW would be immune from incidents like this, but come on folks, you know, as well as I, that NO place is off-limits for sickos like these. Escpecially someplace w/soooo many children! Give the CMs and the very observant parents their props for being on top of their game and the young boy for reporting this creep right away and helping to get him caught! :thumbsup:

[antngoof89]

I think we all would like to think that someplace as pure and magical as WDW would be immune from incidents like this, but come on folks, you know, as well as I, that NO place is off-limits for sickos like these. Escpecially someplace w/soooo many children! Give the CMs and the very observant parents their props for being on top of their game and the young boy for reporting this creep right away and helping to get him caught! :thumbsup:

It's sad when the happiest place on earth becomes the happiest place for creepers too. I just hope that one day all this stuff stops, but what's scary is that with times evolving into the nastiness that we have in the world today, things can only get worse. :(

[drummerboy]

It's sad when the what's scary is that with times evolving into the nastiness that we have in the world today, things can only get worse. :(
Nothing's really evolving; it's always been here. Creepy people have been around for a very long time. When I was in high school in the 60s, there was a guy driving around town for a while offering 'rides' to teenage boys. I politely declined and kept walking when approached. Some of my friends didn't believe me when I told them about it, until he made the same offer to a group of us weeks later.

As far as the ones who got arrested at WDW after the first arrest--they may have had no idea that the earlier arrests even happened. The only way I knew anything about it was because I saw it here.

Still, the best defense is to let kids know, in a non-scary way, that they will not be in trouble if they tell a trusted adult about such an incident. Looks like the one young lady who was accosted in the wave pool had good rapport with Dad and kept her senses very well.

[TheRustyScupper]

If I was the Dad of the Boy, when the police came after the molester. They would of had to take him to the hospital first. But I would of said,(Go figure he must of fell a couple times.)

1) I hear you.
2) Isn't is shameful how chlorine water makes some people's walk unstable?
3) The guy just kept stumbling and we just picked him up.
4) We had no idea stumbling would break his nose, ribs and hand.
5) Or injure his groin.
6) Thank goodness we were there to stop him from getting hurt more on his own.