Jury: No proof Tigger did it

There was no evidence the defendant was inside the Tigger costume when a photo was shot, a juror said.

ORLANDO - A Walt Disney World worker who portrayed the beloved character Tigger was acquitted Wednesday of touching the breast of a 13-year-old girl while posing for a photo at the Magic Kingdom.

Jurors found 36-year-old Michael Chartrand not guilty of lewd and lascivious molestation, a felony, after deliberating for less than one hour. He had faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Chartrand hugged his attorneys when he heard the verdict. Outside the courtroom, Chartrand said he still wanted a job at Walt Disney World but he didn't think he could work as a character again because of what had happened.

"It has ruined my dream to be a character," said Chartrand, a native of England who lost his fiancee and was suspended without pay from his job after his arrest. But he added, "I have no animosity toward anybody."

He said Disney had offered him no support since his arrest. When told that Chartrand wanted a job back at Disney, Disney spokesman Bill Warren said, "We can have a conversation with him, but at this point we really don't have a comment."

Prosecutor Will Jay and members of the girl's family left the courtroom without commenting. The girl's name is being withheld due to the nature of the charge.

During closing arguments Wednesday, Chartrand's defense attorney donned a Tigger costume in the courtroom in an effort to show jurors how difficult it is to maneuver and see in the outfit.

Attorney Jeffrey Kaufman, who moonlights as Tigger and Goofy at Walt Disney World, strapped on Tigger's tail and then put on a neck cloth, the enormous orange-and-black-striped head and two large orange mitts to show jurors how the costume limits peripheral vision and arm movements.

"This is my friend, Tigger," Kaufman said while pulling the costume out of a box. "It might spoil the magic for most people, you know?"

Jurors smirked but kept their composure. They were given the chance to try on the costume in the jury room, and at least three put on the head. But jurors said the defense attorney's donning of the Tigger costume had no effect on their decision.

"There was no evidence to convict," said juror Zach Kauffman. "They couldn't even prove who was behind the Tigger mask."

Kaufman told jurors that Chartrand never touched the girl's breast, and if he did, it was purely accidental.

"There is no evidence that Michael did this on purpose," Kaufman said during his closing argument.

Earlier, when Kaufman asked Chartrand on the witness stand if he had intentionally touched the breast of a Disney guest, Chartrand said, "Never!"

The teen testified Monday, saying the Disney worker fondled her breast while she posed for a photo with him and her mother.

During the prosecution's closing argument, Jay told jurors that Chartrand was guilty of a lewd act and acquitting him would send the wrong message.

"This is an issue about the defendant, a 36-year-old man lewdly touching a 13-year-old while at work ... portraying an innocent character like Tigger, dragging Tigger through the mud as well," Jay said.

Chartrand testified that he wrote a letter of apology to the girl, whom he said he didn't remember, but only at the urging of a detective investigating the case. The detective told him it would make the girl feel better, Chartrand said.

"I believe (the detective) was trying to get me to admit to something I would never do, fondling or groping a female," Chartrand said.

Chartrand's defense attorney has contended the girl's mother was merely after money and planned to sue Disney. The mother claimed Tigger had touched her breast, too, during the visit to Walt Disney World in February, although no criminal charges were filed on her allegation.

Under questioning from Kaufman, the mother conceded that she had met with a lawyer about the case. But when asked if she thought she could make a lot of money from Disney, she told Kaufman, "C'mon. No, I didn't."

World and national headlines

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 Contact the Times | Privacy Policy Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright