Florida Chuck E. Cheese Staff Member In Mouse Costume Was Arrested For Alleged Credit Card Fraud

Social media is having a field day after a Chuck E. Cheese staff member was recently arrested in Florida for alleged credit card fraud.

Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) officers took Jermell Jones, who was working at the children's establishment as the famed mouse character, into custody and charged him with three felonies after a victim reported their credit card stolen.

According to a statement from the TPD, officers were forced to arrest Jones while he was still in his Chuck E. Cheese costume after he reportedly became hostile during their approach.

Alicia Hill, a TPD spokesperson, told the Tallahassee Democrat that police officers were dispatched to the parking lot of a Florida Chuck E. Cheese on July 3 after a victim reported their stolen credit card had been used.

According to Hill, the victim had a party at the establishment in June and later noticed nearly $100 worth of fraudulent charges on their statement from unfamiliar vendors.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the victim was able to trace the fraudulent card activity back to an employee at the Florida Chuck E. Cheese on Sharer Road.

According to the report, TPD officers initially planned a discreet arrest, first spotting the suspect at the door, where he stamped tickets. However, when they returned later, they were informed he had since changed into the full Chuck E. Cheese mouse costume.

Jones' arrest also came with some complications.

“[Police officers] walked over with the intention of just walking outside to put handcuffs on him outside of public view,” Hill told the Tallahassee Democrat. “But when they approached him, he immediately tenses up and resists, and so at this point they make the decision to put him in handcuffs, keeping in mind the safety of not only the customers, but the suspect, as well as the officers themselves.”

Hill said that TPD officers use their "discretion" regarding arrests.

“It is unfortunate that the person who is subject of this investigation and who we had probable cause on happened to be in a suit and in costume,” Hill said before confirming that TPD officers located the missing credit card in Jones' possession.

An employee from Chuck E. Cheese told the Tallahassee Democrat that they were unable to comment on the case; however, they described the situation as "unfortunate," maintaining that the arrest had no connection to the company.

Following his arrest, Jones was charged with three felonies, including "theft of credit card, criminal use of personal identification information, and fraudulent use of a credit [card] over two times within six months."

Hill also commented on the arrest, adding, “When you have a victim outside, it doesn’t matter what the dollar amount is. She was the victim of a fraud.”

TikTok user @courtneygooddd shared a clip of Jones' arrest on the popular social media platform, garnering nearly 300,000 likes in under 24 hours.

Other users have also been commenting on the fiasco, with one joking, "Y'all think he ratted?"

Several other users posted their confused reactions, with one specifically writing, "CHARLES ENTERTAINMENT CHEESE! What is going on?!"

Many others focused on the children who were present at the time of the arrest, questioning the timing and location.

"Imagine being a kid and having that memory that you saw Chuck E. Cheese get arrested," someone wrote, while another commented, "In front of the kids????"

And this isn't the first time there's been trouble at a Florida Chuck E. Cheese. According to WSVN, a massive brawl broke out at a Miami-based facility in 2016 that reportedly featured pulled hair and a staggering amount of thrown punches.

A Chuck E. Cheese spokesperson said that the "store manager acted quickly" by calling the local police.

In another statement, the company said it was committed to ensuring its establishments remain a place "where a kid can be a kid."

“We want to assure our guests that we take great measures to protect the experience children and families have in our stores, and we do not tolerate this kind of behavior," the statement read.