Authorities from the Broward Sheriff's Office detained a cruise ship crew member at Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale, Florida) after the vessel returned from sea, following an allegation of sexual assault involving another member of the ship’s company. The arrest took place on Sunday upon the arrival of the cruise ship Celebrity Xcel.
The individual taken into custody was identified as Wigawa Putu Janu, a 36-year-old crew member from Jembrana, Indonesia. According to investigators, he now faces a charge of sexual battery in South Florida in connection with an incident said to have occurred during the voyage.
Details outlined in the arrest report indicate that the accused and the alleged victim, both members of the ship’s crew, had been socializing after completing their shift earlier in the week. During that time they reportedly consumed alcohol together. The woman later informed investigators that she remembered drinking two shots of bourbon before losing recollection of the remainder of the night.
According to the report, the woman stated that she later regained consciousness in the accused crew member’s cabin and discovered she was unclothed. She also reported observing bleeding and physical marks on her shoulder and back before gathering her belongings and informing a supervisor about the situation.
Investigators reviewed onboard surveillance footage as part of the inquiry. The detective assigned to the case recorded that the video appeared to show the woman in a severely intoxicated condition, at one point falling to the floor and being unable to stand or walk independently. The footage reportedly showed the accused assisting her from the floor and supporting her as they moved through the corridor toward his cabin, during which she appeared unsteady and collided with the walls.
Law enforcement officers took the crew member into custody once the ship returned to Florida. Portions of the accused’s statement contained in the arrest documentation were redacted from the publicly released report.
Following his arrest, the suspect appeared before a judge in Broward County, who ordered that he remain in custody without bond while the case proceeds through the legal process.
A representative for the cruise line’s parent company indicated that the company regarded the allegations with seriousness and stated that it was cooperating with authorities in support of the ongoing investigation.
For more Celebrity Xcel incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page.