Cruise ship worker accused of rape at sea

Photo Wigawa Putu Janu (BSO)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a cruise ship worker at Port Everglades on Sunday after they said he raped a fellow crew member while at sea.

Wigawa Putu Janu, 36, of Jembrana, Indonesia, is now facing a sexual battery charge in South Florida. According to BSO, he worked aboard the Celebrity Xcel.

A BSO arrest report states that Putu Janu had been drinking with the victim, who described him as a “friend,” after their shift last Tuesday. Deputies said “she remembers taking two shots of bourbon before losing all memory for the rest of the night.”

According to the report, the woman said she woke up naked in Putu Janu’s bed and, in the bathroom, saw that she was bleeding and saw marks on her shoulder and back. BSO Detective Kyle Schnakenberg wrote that she gathered her belongings and reported what happened to her supervisor.

“I reviewed video footage of the incident, which shows the victim falling to the ground, appearing completely intoxicated, unable to walk or stand on her own,” Schnakenberg wrote. “Video continues to show the offender attempting to lift the victim off the floor, then holding the victim up, who was stumbling into the walls while they walked to his cabin.”

Deputies took Putu Janu into custody after the ship returned to South Florida on Sunday. A statement by Putu Janu was redacted from the report.

He was arrested on a sexual battery charge and a Broward County judge ordered him held without bond in court Monday.

Local 10 News has contacted Celebrity Cruises seeking comment on the arrest.

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About The Author
Chris Gothner

Chris Gothner

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.