Lakeland man arrested at Walt Disney World backstage in child predator sting

An undercover sting led to a Lakeland man’s arrest at Walt Disney World after he sent explicit images to a detective posing as a 13-year-old boy on Snapchat, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.According to the affidavit, an undercover deputy was operating a Snapchat account in August 2026 when a user identified as “madmax17245” made contact. The user identified himself as a 37-year-old male in the Orlando area. The deputy responded, identifying himself as a 13-year-old boy.The affidavit states Michael Byrne sent an explicit image and three videos before asking the undercover deputy for images in return. Investigators later linked the account to Byrne.When detectives made contact with Byrne at a Central Florida address, he acknowledged the Snapchat account was his, but told investigators he did not know he was communicating with a 13-year-old.The address where Byrne was arrested — 751 Backstage Lane — is associated with Walt Disney World’s backstage area. Disney has not responded t