Trading a cruise cabin for a jail cell is the worst kind of downgrade you can get. The service really drops off and even an “obstructed view” can’t compare.
But for six cruise passengers at Port Canaveral, that’s exactly what happened on Saturday, July 18.
The last time we wrote about arrests taking place at a cruise port it was because of a fight that broke out in the terminal near customs.
In this case, it looks like the sheriff’s office was paying attention to the manifests on cruise ships in Port Canaveral, as several names with warrants popped up.
As a warning to other would-be criminals or warrant-holders coming to the area, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office fired off a Facebook post, saying in part:
“Whether you’re from Florida or Alaska, if you come to Brevard County and break the law…or in this case have a warrant…you better believe that we will lock you up!!”
The post from Sheriff Wayne Ivey also mentioned the names of four individuals arrested in addition to two others that were placed into custody.
While some had just arrived to the Florida port, and not yet even stepped onto their ship, others were arrested after returning from their cruise back in Port Canaveral.
The Arrests
The arrests included Martell Murray of Georgia, who was wanted for violating conditions of his release on pending murder charges, and Kenderia Burney of Leon County, Florida, who faced a violation of probation warrant.
The two arrived together at the port, and Sheriff Ivey pointed out that “these two still got to vacation together at the Lodge even though they got accommodations with separate sleeping quarters.”
What is the Lodge? It’s what Ivey affectionately calls “Ivey’s Iron Bar Lodge”.
Deputies also arrested Veronica Hamlet of Tampa on a failure-to-appear warrant, and James Brewton of South Carolina on a violation-of-probation warrant.
Two other unnamed passengers who were disembarking their cruise were stopped after deputies learned they were on felony probation and had traveled outside the country without the required approval from their probation officers.
Those individuals will remain in custody while the paperwork is completed.
The Facebook post with some pictures of those arrested racked up well over 2,000 comments already. One image of an individual wearing a shirt that says “THNX FOR NOTHING” was called “priceless” from one commenter.
Another stated, “Taking their pictures while still in the cruise port is diabolical.”
A Reminder for Cruisers
Port Canaveral is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, with strong coordination between Brevard County law enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection during both embarkation and disembarkation.
If you have active warrants and certain probation restrictions don’t expect to just sail right through with no disruptions to your cruising plans. Not only is this sheriff actively enforcing these rules, but it also looks like he has quite the sense of humor in informing the public.
The post did not disclose what cruise ships or cruise lines were involved.
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