An incident at Walt Disney World has led to the arrest of a valet employee for allegedly stealing and cashing checks from a guest's checkbook. According to a report by ClickOrlando, the guest, visiting from Ohio, utilized the valet service at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani Village, and later discovered nearly $1,300 missing from her bank account through unauthorized withdrawals.
She reported the theft to the Orange County Sheriff's Office after realizing her checkbook was missing, and no signs of forced entry to her vehicle were present, during their investigation, deputies were alerted to multiple fraudulent transactions including checks for $250, $670, $98, and $230, which the bank's images linked to an individual named Mason Henrichsen. Henrichsen, who is employed by a third-party company and not directly by Disney, was apprehended by law enforcement as he reported for his shift on Wednesday night, according to WDW News Today.
During his interaction with the deputies, Henrichsen claimed he "found a check on the parking lot ground and decided to write it out to himself," subsequently depositing the checks at a local Chase Bank branch. His statement to the authorities was reported by ClickOrlando, which reported that he had been booked on two felony charges, one each for forgery and fraud, following the incident.
Disney spokesperson confirmed that although the valet service operated on their property, Henrichsen was an employee of a third-party vendor, suspected to be Towne Park, yet this breach of trust has undeniably bruised the perception of safety and integrity guests expect at the resort. This case has been forwarded to the Economic Crimes Unit for further review, and Henrichsen is now facing serious legal repercussions for his alleged actions, with further developments likely to unfold as the investigation continues.
