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Carnival Cruise Employee Yovany Suazo-Batiz Charged With Molesting Teen Ship Passenger

Yovany Suazo-Batiz, a steward on the Carnival Valor, is charged with sexual battery of a person under 16 years old and lewd and lascivious molestation.
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A Carnival Cruise Lines employee was arrested in Florida on Saturday for allegedly sexually abusing a teenage passenger, according to police.

Yovany Suazo-Batiz, 46, a steward on the Carnival Valor, was arrested when the ship docked at Port Canaveral, east of Orlando, according to a statement from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. He has been charged with sexual battery of a person under 16 years of age and lewd and lascivious molestation, and is being held on $95,000 bail, the statement said.

The victim's father reported to ship security on Friday that Suazo-Batiz started a conversation with the teenage boy while he was using the sauna and then followed the teen to a shower area where the alleged sexual conduct occurred, according to a Carnival spokesperson and police.

When the victim's father learned of the alleged incident, he and other passengers detained Suazo-Batiz until security arrived, according to police.

Carnival Valor security reported the alleged crime to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office on Saturday morning before the ship docked, police said.

In a statement, Carnival Cruise Lines said staff was cooperating with police and the FBI and had provided "full support and assistance" to the victim while he was still on the ship.