A 33-year-old Oklahoma tourist had a drunken EPCOT meltdown laying on the ground in the rain, attacking a Cast Member, and running backstage at the Mexico pavilion.
By the end of his blackout night, Patrick Delehanty, of Coweta, Oklahoma, was arrested and charged with battery and trespass on property after receiving a warning.
The incident happened on February 9, according to an Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrest report that took the department months to publicly release.
Delehanty was hard to miss at EPCOT because the man, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, lay on the ground in the rain in World Showplace between the Mexico pavilion and the Disney Traders shop, the arrest report said.
A Disney guest experience manager intervened to see if he could help Delehanty’s friend.
“While waiting for a wheelchair, Patrick became aggressive, getting to his feet, and shouting,” the arrest report said. “Next Patrick picked up a stanchion, attempting to swing or throw it at (the Disney guest experience manager) who was in fear of being struck. The stanchion picked up by Patrick was tethered to a second stanchion, preventing him from striking with it. Patrick picked up the stanchion a second time, before slamming it to the ground. Next Patrick picked up a table and threw it.”
The guest experience manager redirected other Cast Members away from the unruly scene, and that’s when Delehanty attacked him, the arrest report said.
“Patrick came up to his left side and struck him across the face with his hand. Patrick pushed [the guest service manager’s] head back on the follow through,” the arrest report said.
Delehanty kept yelling as more Cast Members arrived to help, then he took off running into a backstage area of the Mexico pavilion and attempted to enter one of the buildings.
He didn’t appear to get very far before Delehanty was caught by deputies.
He was trespassed from Disney World and went to the hospital, the arrest report said.
A Disney operations manager collaborated with the guest services manager’s account of that night and said he saw Delehanty, who was “clearly intoxicated,” take off his Hawaiian shirt, ball it up, and throw it at someone’s chest as well as throw a table over a railing. The arrest report is partially redacted, but it appears the operations manager also saw Delehanty strike the guest services manager.
Delehanty wasn’t arrested immediately.
The guest services manager, whose name is redacted in the arrest report, was focused on finishing his duties at EPCOT that night and declined to pursue criminal charges right away, the arrest report said, which also described the manager as “being confused.”
But the next morning, the guest services manager was in pain and went to get treated at Disney Health Services for what he learned were strained muscles in his neck, shoulder, and back, the arrest report said. The manager changed his mind and wanted to pursue criminal charges against Delehanty.
And that same day, deputies tracked Delehanty down to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, where he was staying with his family.
Delehanty told law enforcement he had visited EPCOT the night before with a friend and drank alcohol. He recalled visiting a pub, but after that, he couldn’t remember anything else about what happened.
He was arrested and taken to the Orange County Jail.
Delehanty has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges, according to Orange Circuit Court records.
His attorney declined to comment on the pending case.
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