Authorities in Florida arrested a man at the Disney Springs resort after he refused a temperature check, reportedly telling officials that he spent $15,000 on the trip so they could not ask him to leave. The incident occurred in February but the body cam footage was released recently and was obtained by The Orlando Sentinel.
The man, Kelly Sills, said no multiple times to a temperature check at the resort, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, as reported by Deadline. When police arrived on the scene, Sills continued to decline a temperature check, which is standard practice.
Sills was escorted out of the Boathouse restaurant by authorities, at which point he changed his mind–but it was too late.
“Will you take my temperature before you kick me out, please?” Sills asked when he was taken away, in handcuffs. A deputy responded, “They’ll do that in jail, sir.” Sills replied, “Well, that’s good.”
After being told he was trespassing, Sills reportedly told officers that he spent $15,000 on the vacation. Sills also reportedly brought up how he is a Disney stockholder. However, this approach didn’t work. Sills would end up pleading not guilty to misdemeanor trespassing charges.
Sills is one of multiple men who have been arrested so far in 2021 for refusing to adhere to Disney’s new rules about health and safety amid the pandemic. Disney spokesperson Andrea Finger previously told the Sentinel, “Millions of guests visit our theme parks each year, and in rare instances when things of this nature occur, we hold them accountable.”
Disney World has been open since July 2020, while Disneyland in California is slated to open again on April 30.
