Two Cruise Passengers Arrested At Port Canaveral After Alleged Onboard Fight Involving Child

Two cruise passengers were taken into custody after arriving at Port Canaveral following an alleged violent altercation onboard their ship that involved a nine-year-old child.

Gannon Jacox, 29, and Brooklyn Hicks, 28, were arrested on Saturday, 15th August 2026 and booked into the Brevard County Jail on a series of charges following the incident.

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey publicised the arrests on social media, saying the confrontation began after Jacox and Hicks were allegedly arguing loudly onboard an unidentified cruise ship.

According to Ivey, another passenger asked the couple to keep the noise down, but the request allegedly escalated the situation rather than calming it.

Hicks is accused of confronting the other guests while Jacox recorded what was happening on his mobile phone. The sheriff said Jacox also verbally encouraged Hicks during the confrontation.

The situation then allegedly moved inside the other passengers’ accommodation.

“The suspects then pushed their way into the victim’s room, which included a 9-year-old child that was inside the room,” Ivey described. “As a fight ensued Jacox ends up hitting all 3 people (including the child) and Hicks was just swinging, hoping one would land.”

Gannon Jacox and Brooklyn Hicks Arrested Passengers

No injuries were reported among the three alleged victims, according to Ivey. Jacox, however, sustained an injury to his right eye.

The sheriff also indicated that alcohol appeared to have played a part in events. Exactly where the original argument began onboard has not been disclosed, nor has the cruise line or ship involved been publicly identified.

Pair Face Multiple Charges Following Arrest

Hicks was booked into the Brevard County Jail at 1.41pm on 15th August, while Jacox was booked later that day at 7.55pm.

Hicks was booked on two counts, including felony burglary with battery and a misdemeanour battery touch/strike charge. Her total bond was listed at $6,000.

Jacox, meanwhile, was booked on four counts. They included two felony burglary with assault charges, a felony charge of child abuse without great bodily harm and a misdemeanour battery touch/strike charge. His combined bonds totalled $31,000.

Both remained listed in custody following their arrests.

Ivey, who frequently uses humour when discussing arrests on the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office’s social media channels, described their detention as “a very expensive shore excursion to Ivey’s Iron Bar Lodge.”

“Hopefully they enjoy their extended stay at their unplanned destination with close quarter sleeping arrangements, communal showers, no drink packages and of course no excursions!” he quipped.

The sheriff’s public account of the incident identified Jacox and Hicks as the suspects, although the allegations against them will ultimately have to be determined through the legal process.

Cruise Ship Involved Has Not Been Identified

Authorities have not named the cruise ship where the alleged confrontation occurred, making it impossible to determine which cruise line the pair had been travelling with based solely on the information released by the sheriff.

Aerial view of a Carnival cruise ship docked at Port Canaveral, Florida, with the vast expanse of the port infrastructure visible in the background, illustrating the scale and operation of a major cruise ship port.

However, Port Canaveral’s official schedule shows four cruise ships were at the Florida homeport on Saturday, 15th August 2026: Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Treasure, Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras and Carnival Freedom.

Adventure of the Seas was scheduled to arrive at 5.15am and depart at 4pm, while Disney Treasure was scheduled in port between 5.45am and 4.45pm. Mardi Gras was listed from 6am until 3.30pm, and Carnival Freedom was due alongside from 6.45am until 3.30pm. All four were operating as homeport vessels rather than making ordinary ports of call.

That does not establish that the alleged incident occurred on any particular one of the four ships. Neither Ivey nor the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office identified the vessel or cruise operator involved.

The arrests are another reminder that incidents occurring at sea can continue to have consequences after a passenger steps ashore. Cruise lines can cooperate with law enforcement when authorities are waiting at a homeport, while passengers involved in serious incidents may also face separate action from the operator, potentially including removal from a sailing or restrictions on future cruises.