A now-former crew member of Enchantment of the Seas has been indicted on federal charges of sexual abuse of a minor, which allegedly occurred during the December 17 sailing of the ship from Baltimore. (Note: This should not be confused with a very similar incident which occurred on the Christmas cruise of Allure of the Seas.)
According to the complaint in the case, on the last night of the cruise, December 23, the 25-year-old man had sex with a 14-year-old girl with whom he had become acquainted during the cruise.
On that night, she says she encountered him while she was alone in a hallway. He told her to come with him, and she followed him for some distance to the men's bathroom in the fitness center where the two had sex until another crew member knocked on the door.
Afterwards she was upset, but according to the complaint, he told her to return to her stateroom, act normally and take a shower, which she did. She later encountered the man on the ship, and said he asked her to say nothing because he could get in trouble.
Security cameras captured images of the 25-year-old man and the 14-year-old girl outside the locker room in the fitness center at approximately the time the girl alleges the incident took place. They also recorded images of the third crew member. The girl has identified all three of the people in the pictures.
When questioned by security personnel, the man denied having sex with any 14-year-old girls, but admitted to having sex with the girl in question, saying she had told him she was 16.
He is now awaiting trial on the federal charges in Baltimore.
The complete story appeared in the January 12, 2012, edition of Cruise News Daily.
