Man accused of inappropriately touching young girl in lazy river at Orlando resort | FOX 35 Orlando
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Man accused of inappropriately touching young girl in lazy river at Orlando resort

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Updated  March 12, 2025 6:05am EDT
Orange County
FOX 35 Orlando

Man accused of touching girl at Orlando resort

A man was taken to jail after he allegedly groped a young girl at an Orlando, Florida resort on Monday.

The Brief

  • A man is facing a felony molestation charge after he inappropriately touched a young girl while in the lazy river pool at an Orlando resort, authorities said.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A man was taken to jail after he allegedly groped a young girl at an Orlando, Florida resort on Monday.

William Chatel, 72, of Rhode Island, was arrested on a felony charge of lewd/lascivious molestation of a victim 12 years old or under, according to an Orange County Sheriff's Office arrest report.

What we know:

On Monday, March 10, deputies responded to the Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek located at 9560 Via Encinas about a man allegedly touching people in the lazy river pool.

Booking photo of William Chatel (Credit: Orange County jail)

When they arrived, they spoke with the victim's mother, who reported that a man, later identified as Chatel, had inappropriately touched her 12-year-old daughter's buttocks while she was in the water. The girl then approached her mother "in tears and hysterical," according to the report.

The girl explained that she first encountered Chatel on Sunday when she felt something touch her lower back and right side. Upon realizing it was an "elderly male," she attempted to avoid him for the rest of the time they were in the lazy river.

She returned to the lazy river pool on Monday and saw Chatel again, and tried to avoid him when the incident happened, authorities said. 

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When deputies spoke with Chatel about the alleged incident, he claimed "he didn't remember anything" and denied interacting with anyone in the pool.

Following the investigation, Chatel was arrested and booked into the Orange County jail.

At the time of Chatel's arrest, the resort informed law enforcement that it was unable to issue a trespass warning immediately. However, they intended to do so as early as Tuesday, March 11, once senior management approved it. Based on the facts of the case, the resort planned to request that a court order be issued, prohibiting Chatel from returning to the property, according to the affidavit.

FOX 35 News has reached out to the resort regarding the incident. We're waiting to hear back. 

What we don't know:

Deputies were shown several videos that allegedly captured Chatel approaching young girls in the lazy river who were alone. In the videos, he appeared to "swim up to them and reach/paddle underwater toward the children," according to the affidavit.

Detectives said they were made aware of a possible second victim of inappropriate contact by Chatel in the pool, which was also reported to authorities. It is currently unclear whether Chatel is facing additional charges related to that incident.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Orange County Sheriff's Office in an arrest affidavit. 

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