Woman sentenced to 90 days with credit in Disney teacup ride beating

[crazy4wdw]

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Woman sentenced to 90 days with credit in Disney teacup ride beating

Helen Eckinger | Sentinel Staff Writer
2:44 PM EDT, April 23, 2008

BREAKING NEWS: Victoria Walker was sentenced to 90 days with credit for the 32 days that she has already served.

A jury found Victoria Walker guilty of battery Friday, after deliberating for less than two hours.

Walker, 51, could have been convicted of aggravated battery, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, for beating Aimee Krause at Disney World's Mad Tea Party ride last year. But, the jury chose to find her guilty of the lesser charge, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

The jury acquitted Walker on an additional battery charge for allegedly pushing Krause's daughter Amber, then 7, into a fence. It also found that Krause, 35, suffered minor injuries in the incident.

After the trial, Walker's son, Toney Phillips, said that he felt his mother should never have been charged with a crime, noting that deputies allowed her to return to Alabama following the April 27 incident. She wasn't arrested until July.

"If she had beaten [Krause]so badly, they would have arrested her that night," he said. "This was a common-sense case, and it shouldn't have gone so far." The severity of Krause's injuries was a focal point for both sides during the trial. Two expert witnesses testified that Krause suffered permanent brain damage from a concussion she suffered when Walker jerked her head backward by the hair, and another described how he performed surgery of both of her knees to correct injuries he believed stemmed from the incident.

But, the defense implied that Krause exaggerated her injuries, and suggested that she might hope to profit financial by seeking punitive damages from Walker or by suing Disney World. Walker's attorney, David Allen, repeatedly noted that there was little physical evidence to prove that Krause suffered from brain damage because traditional tests like MRI's do not reveal evidence of a concussion.

On Friday, Allen tried to introduce two last-minute witnesses who he hoped would be able to cast doubt on Krause's honesty and suggest and suggested she had a history of aggressive behavior.

The two prospective witnesses were Cynthia Kinat and Tricia Murphy, who are both administrators at Pine Ridge Elementary in Clermont, where Krause's two children are students. Kinat is the school's principal and Murphy is the assistant principal.

Allen hoped that the women would be able to testify about Krause's reputation for truthfulness in her community, but, after the information they had to offer, Judge Jose Rodriguez refused to allow them to appear before the jury, saying that the women did not know enough people who interact with Krause to be able to comment on the opinions of a "community." Murphy also said that Krause had behaved aggressively on Pine Ridge's campus, but Rodriguez found that since Murphy could only point to examples of Krause's verbal aggression, her testimony wasn't relevant in Walker's case.

After the verdict was delivered, Krause said she was happy with the jury's decision.

"I'm very pleased that she was convicted of a crime," she said.

But, after learning of Kinat and Murphy's allegations, she is reluctant to send her children back to Pine Ridge Elementary. Her attorney, Eben Self, said that Krause and her family are considering moving from Clermont.

"She has great concern about the safety of her children in the Lake County School system," Self said.

 

[Luv2Roam]

And this from local news 13, http://www.cfnews13.com

"ORLANDO -- The woman who attacked a Clermont mother at Walt Disney World returned to jail Wednesday.

Victoria Walker, 62, was sentenced to 90 days behind bars for beating and kicking Aimee Krause at the Mad Tea Party ride at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in 2007.

She will receive credit for time served and will only be locked up for another two months.

In court, Walker apologized to Krause and showed remorse for what happened.

“I never meant to cause nobody no pain. I never meant to cause no trouble in your town you know. I came here for the kids who ordinarily been able to visit a place like disney world to show them a good time," said Walker.

In addition to the prison time, Walker will also serve probation.

Walker had been facing up to a year in prison.

Krause said after the verdict she was pleased with the sentence. Her lawyers though said they are considering a suit against Disney as well."


You just knew this was coming too. If nothing else they are probably hoping it will be considered a nuisance suit, settled out of court, and she will walk away with some $.

 

[harmonium]

Suing Disney is just greedy. Security stepped in when it mattered, right? What were they expecting to happen, Mickey to pop out of the ground and block the woman's attack? Maybe Disney should tamper with the water and air so it makes all the guests docile so no one gets angry.

 

[iuki]

Suing Disney is just greedy. Security stepped in when it mattered, right? What were they expecting to happen, Mickey to pop out of the ground and block the woman's attack? Maybe Disney should tamper with the water and air so it makes all the guests docile so no one gets angry.

Just for the record, whether or not the woman did cut in line, that would not justify the assault. However, I am curious, does anyone know whether the victim really did cut in line?

If the laws were changed that the person filing the lawsuit had to pay for the defendant's attorneys fees if the plaintiff lost the lawsuit, there would be less frivolous lawsuits.

iuki

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Suing Disney is just greedy. Security stepped in when it mattered, right? What were they expecting to happen, Mickey to pop out of the ground and block the woman's attack? Maybe Disney should tamper with the water and air so it makes all the guests docile so no one gets angry.

I disagree. If it were me I'd sue Disney too. Where were the CM's? In the unemployment line? WDW needs to pony up to the bar and make sure that there are enough CM's and security people around to keep everyone as safe as possible. Yes that means doing more for the same result as in years past but so what? Have you seen their financials lately? They can afford it and should be willing to do it. But they won't. They'll pay this lady off (good for her) and just continue on knowing the odds of enough of these incidents happening will never outweigh the preventative cost of keeping it as safe as possible.

 

[harmonium]

I disagree. If it were me I'd sue Disney too. Where were the CM's? In the unemployment line? WDW needs to pony up to the bar and make sure that there are enough CM's and security people around to keep everyone as safe as possible. Yes that means doing more for the same result as in years past but so what? Have you seen their financials lately? They can afford it and should be willing to do it. But they won't. They'll pay this lady off (good for her) and just continue on knowing the odds of enough of these incidents happening will never outweigh the preventative cost of keeping it as safe as possible.

You really are a pirate!
Whether or not Disney can "afford" the bill is not the issue. How much time did it take for Disney security to intervene? Could Disney have prevented the old woman from attacking the other woman? What could they have done? How much is Disney at fault?

If the woman cut in line or didn't is also not the issue. The assault is the issue and Disney did not assault the woman or push her child.

The woman is in her 60's and is going to serve jail time, plus be fined, and maybe get banned from Disney. So what else does the victim need? Should everyone who works at Disney in Security send her an apology? How about they each give her a weeks earnings and let their families go hungry that week because she got "slapped" by a disgruntled elderly woman.

My point is that I would be upset if this happened to me too, but punishing Disney for someone elses mistake is just as criminal.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

You really are a pirate!
Whether or not Disney can "afford" the bill is not the issue. How much time did it take for Disney security to intervene? Could Disney have prevented the old woman from attacking the other woman? What could they have done? How much is Disney at fault?

If the woman cut in line or didn't is also not the issue. The assault is the issue and Disney did not assault the woman or push her child.

The woman is in her 60's and is going to serve jail time, plus be fined, and maybe get banned from Disney. So what else does the victim need? Should everyone who works at Disney in Security send her an apology? How about they each give her a weeks earnings and let their families go hungry that week because she got "slapped" by a disgruntled elderly woman.

My point is that I would be upset if this happened to me too, but punishing Disney for someone elses mistake is just as criminal.

Again I disagree. I was just there this weekend and I couldn't believe how remote some parts of the Parks felt despite it being a rather busy day.

We were in lines with no CM's in sight and I saw some kids (14-15) cutting at E:E (AK) and actually thought what if someone just doesn't let them go? A fight could erupt quickly and there were no CM's within my view. I just think WDW should be made as safe as possible and CM's should immediately intervene when something is going on (meaning they need to be everywhere) but IMO they don't monitor anything like they used to and there isn't enough CM's because Disney doesn't care and because they don't care they should pay this woman for her suffering. How much? I don't know but certainly the price of her vacation and if she gets more then maybe Disney SHOULD think about making their Parks safer.

Hows that?

 

[chepic]

Again I disagree. I was just there this weekend and I couldn't believe how remote some parts of the Parks felt despite it being a rather busy day.

We were in lines with no CM's in sight and I saw some kids (14-15) cutting at E:E (AK) and actually thought what if someone just doesn't let them go? A fight could erupt quickly and there were no CM's within my view. I just think WDW should be made as safe as possible and CM's should immediately intervene when something is going on (meaning they need to be everywhere) but IMO they don't monitor anything like they used to and there isn't enough CM's because Disney doesn't care and because they don't care they should pay this woman for her suffering. How much? I don't know but certainly the price of her vacation and if she gets more then maybe Disney SHOULD think about making their Parks safer.

Hows that?

WOW....you're rather harsh....what happened to the days of people just really behaving themselves appropriately in public, and being responsible for one's own actions??????

I completely disagree with you...I think Disney does a very good job of overseeing their parks. There are people dressed like you and me, that aren't even identified as CM's watching what goes on. And I have to say that if you feel so unsafe, maybe you should try another amusement park and really view what occurs when there aren't enough park staff!!

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

WOW....you're rather harsh....what happened to the days of people just really behaving themselves appropriately in public, and being responsible for one's own actions??????

I completely disagree with you...I think Disney does a very good job of overseeing their parks. There are people dressed like you and me, that aren't even identified as CM's watching what goes on. And I have to say that if you feel so unsafe, maybe you should try another amusement park and really view what occurs when there aren't enough park staff!!

Talk about harsh!

My Disney years are winding down as my daughters are growing older but I am very happy we went to WDW during a time when they actually did care about the things I now lament.

The undercover CM's? They used to be part of WDW but they are not anymore. The cutbacks have taken them. Further when did I say I feel unsafe? I just feel it is Disney's responsibility to make us all as safe as they can because it's the 'Disney' thing to do. If you feel the corporate dollar is more important than maintaining Walt's Disney then you're the perfect guest for 21st Century Igerworld. Have fun.

 

[harmonium]

Originally Posted by Peter Pirate 2
...IMO they don't monitor anything like they used to and there isn't enough CM's because Disney doesn't care and because they don't care they should pay this woman for her suffering. How much? I don't know but certainly the price of her vacation and if she gets more then maybe Disney SHOULD think about making their Parks safer.

Hows that?


Not a bad solution, but...

Do you know if Disney already compensated the victim(s) for their admission to the parks or their stay there? Do you know for sure that Disney just sat back and did nothing?

I do not think that we can prove on these boards that 1. Disney doesn't care and 2. that Disney is going or is not going to do something for this woman.

How can the CMs be everywhere? That means that no matter what you are doing there is an employee watching you. Bad or good, they are watching you. I would not really feel "safe" being watched the whole time.

Do you know for a fact that there were no CMs around to help? How long exactly was it before a CM intervened?

Suing Disney in this case is like me suing you for getting pushed at a party in your house. I see that you drive a Lexus and you live in a nice area so I figure you can afford it so I am in my right to sue. You should have had people stationed throughout your home during social events to mediate and protect. A much smaller scale, yes, but the principle still applies.

 

[sandym718]

Suing Disney in this case is like me suing you for getting pushed at a party in your house. I see that you drive a Lexus and you live in a nice area so I figure you can afford it so I am in my right to sue. You should have had people stationed throughout your home during social events to mediate and protect. A much smaller scale, yes, but the principle still applies.

I agree. It sounds like justice has been served here and it should be done. Disney cannot be held responsible for the actions of every single one of its guests, they can only be expected to have security intervene in a reasonable amount of time, which it sounds like they did. Are they supposed to have security guards stationed at the front of each and every line?

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I understand that here on the DIS any dissenting view will be met with negativity and thats OK. All of us gets our view.

My views are based on years of Disney experience and years of friendships with many CM's and I know with enough confidence that Disney has scaled back on security issues and HAS looked at the issue through the financial microscope...Meaning that the cost of adding security/CM's is way more than the amount of nuisance payouts they will pay out over a given period of time. If it's OK with you guys that guest safety decisions at DISNEY are made by the lawyers and accountants then so be it. I don't feel that this is the Disney way.

Regarding the silly statements made in response to my opinion, of course they can't have CM's absolutely everywhere but in areas where large crowds are gathered (big qeues for example) then yes I certainly think someone should be monitoring whats going on if for no other reason than pure precaution. I always appreciated that incidents were handled quickly and decisively in the past and I can say that I never saw as many squabbles and unsavory situations at WDW during the 80's and 90's as I have this century.

I understand that litigous behavior runs amok in our society and I certainly am not litigious by nature. I would never support a slip and fall or any other personal responsibility type situatiuon but an assualt? WDW can't have this happening in their Parks at all costs, IMO.

 

[harmonium]

I see your point that Disney could have performed a cost benefit analysis that showed that spending on small law suits every once and awhile is cheaper than hiring more security. Was this something that you read somewhere? Does that mean that my argument that people should not sue Disney in cases like this becomes a mute point because Disney "expects" people to sue rather than hire more CMs to protect the patrons? Mind you, CM's are not police and are not armed. They can only go so far as to "try" to mediate a bad situation. Whether or not there were 1 or 20 CMs standing around that incident would still have occurred. The amount of security would not have mattered to the woman who is now "still considering" suing Disney. In her and her lawyers minds, IF they decide to sue, they want more then justice. They want money and that is where I take issue.

As for me, I too was just stating my opinion and you added that you disagreed. Yeah democracy! But how am I being negative? Why is my opinion negative and your opinion positive?

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Sorry, not negative in that sense and it wasn't your post specifically that I was lamenting.

Certainly your opinion is still valid. I also agree that too often people are looking for a freebie and in this case maybe this lady is too but I see suing over an assualt as a bit different that suing because you tripped over the curb and cracked your head and I guess I disagree with your opinion that "justice" is enough...Sometimes I think justice is best served when corporations are hit where it hurts them the most...

RE: the cost analysis, I can't say who I heard it from but it was pretty far inside the organization. Now at this point my fellow DIS'ers have to decide whether they believe me or not and if they don't that's OK, this is just the internet and you guys don't really know me or I you.

 

[harmonium]

Sorry, not negative in that sense and it wasn't your post specifically that I was lamenting.

Certainly your opinion is still valid. I also agree that too often people are looking for a freebie and in this case maybe this lady is too but I see suing over an assualt as a bit different that suing because you tripped over the curb and cracked your head and I guess I disagree with your opinion that "justice" is enough...Sometimes I think justice is best served when corporations are hit where it hurts them the most...

RE: the cost analysis, I can't say who I heard it from but it was pretty far inside the organization. Now at this point my fellow DIS'ers have to decide whether they believe me or not and if they don't that's OK, this is just the internet and you guys don't really know me or I you.

No worries. The shame of it is that we do have to deal with other people's anger issues and sometimes those anger issues get the better of us as well. Good to know that there are people out there who understand how to treat others in a civilized manner. Good luck to you on your next visits to the world.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Pirate seems to be on the $$ when he suggests Disney is skimping with CM's working in the parks--security as well as all others. In all the major lines we've stood in recently, nary a CM in sight to "monitor" things. And while they are not police and can only go so far to mediate a bad incident, just their visability might just keep some folks from acting out. And he's also right about current guest/crowd behavior--it continues to deteriorate annually.

That said, glad the perp got the jail time--might make her wise up. As to the victim--if she does sue she'll most certainly be paid off. I doubt Disney wants something like just how many CM's and security there are (or more likely, aren't) becoming public.
And didn't someone in a previous thread suggest that most of Disney security is over at DD dealing with the gangs and roaming packs of teens??

 

[DeadHead]

In resposnse to a previous post, was at EE on 5/7 and some teens tried to cut in front of DW and & I. I refused to let them by politely. Told them that if I waited in line so could they, they gave a very loud profanity laced reply. A CM heard their reply and had them escorted by security out of the park. It was not my intention to have them ejected, just for them to wait like everyone else, but the CM was not about to let it go at that and had security do their job. So sometimes CM's do pay attention to what is going on in the lines. Maybe not as often as some would like or should but it does happen.

 

[dementia412]

I would not sue Disney unless (and I don't know the particulars of this case) there was a specific issue such as CM's knowing there was a problem and not responding. I would sue the woman... not because she hurt me, but because she messed with my kid. In fact, they would have had to pull off the woman after she pushed my kid. Yes some people are rude in the parks. You tell them off, you don't attack them.

 

[jcf]

I was waiting with my 7 year old son to get into Indiana Jones attraction when woman (European decent) almost got into it with a man (Chinese) who "allegedly" was cutting the line to her annoyance.

Apparently, she didn't believe his "story" which was that he had stepped out of the attraction where he left his son in order to get him something as he loudly exclaimed back to her his displeasure though they each through a few f-bombs no fistacuffs

After the show, he did leave with his son, so he was telling the truth.

I guess people should learn to relax on vacation.

 

[MikeS.]

I had to prevent a physical attack in the MK last December. 2 groups of women started a shoving match over the use of sidewalk space.

It was 15 minutes before security showed up.

A couple clean-up people helped the ladies that got attacked and stayed with them until security finally showed up. Security then walked them out of the park and to their car.

I was appaled that it took them that long to get there.