A New Jersey tourist was arrested after he caused a scene when he was cut off from alcohol at Disney Springs’ Polite Pig restaurant last month, authorities said.
Stephen DiGiovanna, 61, has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor count of trespass, court records show.
The restaurant called law enforcement after DiGiovanna began yelling and throwing things, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s report.
When the Orange County Sheriff’s deputy arrived at the restaurant before 9 p.m., Dec. 7, DiGiovanna was sitting at the bar with a plastic cup.
“Mr. DiGiovanna was advised by another deputy that the restaurant wished for him to leave and kept arguing about the reason for him leaving, that he didn’t understand. I advised Mr. DiGiovanna that this was private property, and they can refuse any … business that they choose,” the sheriff’s arrest report said.
The sheriff’s deputy said DiGiovanna appeared to be “highly intoxicated” because he was slurring his words, according to the report. “I later learned that Mr. DiGiovanna was cut off from the bar for being intoxicated and he got upset that he was served water and not alcohol,” the deputy wrote.
The deputy said he asked DiGiovanna “multiple times” to leave Polite Pig, but the New Jersey tourist wasn’t listening and kept refusing to go.
“I then placed Mr. DiGiovanna in my agency issued handcuffs and advised him that he was under arrest for trespassing after warning. It should be noted that Mr. DiGiovanna was given multiple chances to leave the property, which he refused,” the arrest report said.
Polite Pig is located in a busy part of Disney Springs near the Lime Parking Garage.
DiGiovanna’s attorney declined to comment for this story.
Every year, dozens and dozens of people get arrested and charged with committing crimes at Disney World as they are accused of driving at excessive speeds, attacking law enforcement or hospitality employees or behaving belligerently in public while intoxicated.
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