Court orders former Sea Pines VP to get counseling after he drunkenly hit worker at Disney
Following his arrest for allegedly assaulting a hostess at a Disney hotel restaurant last fall, a former executive at Hilton Head’s Sea Pines Resort will undergo court-mandated anger management classes to clear his criminal record.
Formerly the vice president of hospitality, resort sales and marketing, 64-year-old John Munro was ordered to take the classes by a Florida court as part of a “pretrial diversion” program, an alternative to prosecution offered to defendants accused of minor crimes who have no significant prior convictions. If Munro completes the course, logs 40 hours of community service and avoids contacting the victim for a six-month period, his misdemeanor battery charge will be dismissed by the state attorney’s office.
Munro was released from an Orange County jail on a $1,000 bond following his Nov. 19 arrest at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa outside of Orlando. He maintained a plea of not guilty throughout court proceedings.
A spokeswoman for the Sea Pines Resort confirmed in late January that Munro was “no longer employed” by the company but would not say if he had been terminated. It was unclear if a replacement had since been hired for the vice president position.
The luxury resort is inside the massive Sea Pines gated community, comprising 5,000 acres and five miles of beaches on southern Hilton Head Island. The development brings in tens of millions in revenue every year, much of which comes from daily visitor fees collected at the main entrance.
Dress code dispute leads to arrest
A police affidavit says the Munro family’s party of four was checking in for a reservation the evening of Nov. 19 at Cítricos, an upscale eatery inside the Grand Floridian hotel with a “sophisticated,” no-swimwear dress code, according to the restaurant’s website.
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 deputies.
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.”
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.
This story was originally published June 7, 2024 at 11:53 AM.
