ORLANDO, Florida – A man who jumped from a cruise ship off Florida's coast and was rescued about eight hours later by the Coast Guard, was arrested Tuesday on sex charges, authorities said.
Michael Mankamyer, 35, of Orlando was charged with sexual battery not likely to cause injury and lewd or lascivious molestation on a victim older than 12, said Liz Malavet, of the Orange County jail's inmate records. Mankamyer was being held without bond and his first court appearance is Wednesday, she said.
The charges stem from an FBI investigation into Mankamyer's fall about 70 feet (21 meters) after jumping from the balcony of his room aboard the Carnival Glory in March, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Mankamyer, an MRI technician at Florida Hospital South, said he was innocent and did not know why he was in custody. He also declined to speak with investigators, saying he had retained a lawyer. The name of his attorney was not immediately known.
The FBI reviewed cruise ship records that revealed Mankamyer had escorted at least four teenage boys on separate cruises, Sgt. Rich Mankewich of the sheriff's sex crimes unit told the newspaper.
The boys were children of parents Mankamyer befriended, Mankewich said.
Telephone messages, pages and an e-mail left for the sheriff's office after hours were not immediately returned.
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