Carnival employee charged with sexual battery of a minor

A man who worked as a stateroom steward aboard a Carnival cruise ship was arrested and charged with sexual battery of a person under 16 years of age and lewd and lascivious molestation on Saturday evening, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Yovany Suazo Batiz, 46, who is a Honduran national, was taken into custody in relation to an alleged incident with a teenage cruise passenger.

The investigation began on Saturday morning after BCSO was contacted by the ship's security after the victim's father reported it to them. BCSO's Special Victim's and Crime Scene Units responded and met the ship when it docked at Port Canaveral.

As part of the investigation, police say they found that Batiz first started talking with the victim as they were using the sauna. After the victim moved to a shower area to get away from Batiz, police say that Batiz engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct.

The victim identified Batiz to the father, who detained him with the help of other passengers until security came.

Batiz is being held in the Brevard County Jail on $95,000 bond.