A 35-year-old youth counselor, Cris John Pentinio Castor, working on Celebrity Cruises, is facing federal charges after reportedly admitting to molesting several children during a recent Caribbean cruise.
The incident came to light after the parents of a 6-year-old girl accused Castor of touching her inappropriately on November 27th. The incident allegedly occurred while the girl was playing a video game at the ship's Camp at Sea center.
Authorities say that while security footage couldn't directly capture the act, it did show Castor reaching towards the child's lap.
Following the accusation, Castor confessed to law enforcement about touching the child and admitted to similar inappropriate behavior with other children under his care at the Youth Center. He further admitted to consciously trying to hide these actions from security cameras.
Castor, who had been employed as a youth counselor since August, was arrested upon the ship's return to Florida and is currently being held in Broward County's jail. He is due to appear in court for a detention hearing on Friday.
In response to the incident, a representative for Celebrity Cruises released a statement expressing zero tolerance for such behavior and confirmed that they had reported the matter to law enforcement and terminated Castor's employment. They also pledged to continue cooperating fully with authorities.
This incident highlights the issue of sexual assault on cruise ships, with statistics showing 87 reported cases in the US alone last year.
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