Sea Pines exec arrested in Florida after drunkenly slapping Disney cast member, police say
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A vice president at the Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head was arrested after an alleged drunken meltdown over the dress code in a Disney hotel restaurant, according to court documents released this week.
John Munro, 64, of Hilton Head Island, pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor battery charge 10 days after the Nov. 19 incident, which occurred at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa outside of Orlando. Sea Pines staff confirmed the man was the resort’s vice president of hospitality, resort sales and marketing, according to reporting published Wednesday by Walt Disney World News Today.
The VP had been placed on administrative leave “amid review of this personnel matter,” resort spokesperson Karen Moraghan confirmed Thursday to The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
An affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office says the Munro family’s party of four was checking in for a reservation around 7:30 p.m. at Cítricos, an upscale eatery inside the hotel with a “sophisticated,” no-swimwear dress code, the restaurant’s website says.
Because Munro was wearing “swimming shorts and a T-shirt,” he was told by waitstaff that he would not be allowed to dine with his family, the report says. The man seemed to understand, the hostess noted — but when the family’s table was ready 15 minutes later, he began following them across the restaurant.
That’s when the hostess was approached by one of the party members, who told her, “Please don’t allow him to sit with us,” referring to Munro. “He is really drunk, underdressed. ... It’s my birthday and I’m embarrassed.”
The staff member then advised Munro again that he wouldn’t be able to sit at the table.
Munro allegedly approached the 19-year-old staff member and slapped her on the forehead three times while tauntingly repeating her name. The hostess “stood in shock” in front of the man while continuing to hold the family’s menus, she told police.
The same woman from the party approached again and intervened, causing Munro to stop before she “repeatedly” apologized to the hostess. The other three family members were seated at their table while the employee and her supervisors called the police.
The hostess had no clear injuries and refused medical treatment but “appeared to have been crying” following the incident, an officer noted. According to the same report, Munro seemed to be drunk based on his “slurred speech, glossy red eyes” and repeated statements that he was going to “sue Disney.”
Munro was arrested the night of Nov. 19 and released on a $1,000 bond the next morning. Surveillance video from the restaurant was not available, but prosecutors plan to use police body camera footage from the incident, according to Florida court records.
Attorneys for Munro did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday afternoon.
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