US: Florida Man arrested trying to quarantine on private Disney island

A 42-year-old US man was arrested this week for trespassing after he was found self-isolating on a private Disney island closed for the public since 1999. Police searched for him on foot, by helicopter, and by boat before finally making contact with him.

There are many foolish ways of getting arrested during COVID-19 lockdowns. One can take leisurely strolls in public places hit the beach, gather in a group inside a park, or simply self-isolate in a private island, which has been closed to the public since 1999.

Richard McGuire was on a shuttered Disney island, which he describes as ‘tropical island’ when cops arrested him for flouting quarantine rules.

McGuire told Orage County sheriffs deputies he had been living on Disney’s Discovery Island for over two days and was planning to camp there for a week. The arrest took place after numerous deputies were deployed on foot, by boat, and by air to search for McGuire, who happened to be sleeping during the search operation.

McGuire told deputies he didn’t know the island was a restricted area despite the fact that there were numerous ‘no trespassing’ signs all around.

“Richard stated that he was unaware of that and that it looked like a tropical paradise,” according to the arrest report.

The arrest report adds that Orange County Marine deputies used a public address system to tell McGuire he wasn’t allowed to stay on the island. However, he didn’t take the warnings seriously and remained on the island.

A security representative of Disney said he saw McGuire using a boat and noted that the area had several ‘no trespassing’ signs and two closed gates.

After charges were pressed, McGuire was arrested on a trespassing charge and taken to jail.

Disney’s Discovery Island, previously called Treasure Island, has been closed to the public since 1999.

Recently, an Italian man was seen sunbathing on a deserted beach during coronavirus lockdown. But his time in the sand didn’t last for too long as cops used drones to track him down. A clip of the incident shared on social media shows cops arriving on quad bikes to issue the man a fine.