'Tigger' acquitted of fondling

Attorney Jeff Kaufmann wears a Tigger costume for his closing arguments in the trial of Michael Chartrand, left, who is helping him with the costume Wednesday in Orlando, Fla. Chartrand, a Walt Disney World worker who portrayed Tigger, was acquitted Wednesday of charges he fondled a 13-year-old girl while posing for a photo with the teen and her mother. The acquittal came less than an hour following a three-day trial during which Kaufmann donned the costume in an effort to show jurors how difficult it is to maneuver and see in the outfit. Kaufmann — who also moonlights as Tigger and Goofy at Walt Disney World — first strapped on Tigger's tail and then put on a neck cloth, the enormous orange-and-black striped head, and two large orange mitts to show jurors how the costume limits peripheral vision and arm movements. Jurors said the tactic had no effect on their decision. "There was no evidence to convict," juror Zach Kauffman said. "They couldn't even prove who was behind the Tigger mask."