An Ohio couple was arrested at Port Canaveral after authorities said they forced their way into a family’s cruise ship cabin and attacked two adults and a 9-year-old child following a noise complaint. Gannon Jacox, 29, and Brooklyn Hicks, 28, from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, were arrested when the ship returned to port, according to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
The incident began when the couple was arguing loudly after drinking and a family asked them to quiet down. Hicks then confronted the victim, while Jacox walked over with his cellphone, began recording the encounter, and encouraged Hicks to attack them, Ivey said.
The couple then pushed their way into the family’s cabin. As a fight ensued, Jacox struck all three people, including the child, and Hicks threw punches, according to Ivey. None of the three victims was seriously injured, though Jacox suffered an eye injury during the confrontation that could have come from one of the victims or from Hicks.
Jacox was charged with burglary with battery and child abuse without great bodily harm. Hicks was charged with burglary with battery and battery-touch/strike. Authorities have not identified which cruise ship was involved; four ships were scheduled to dock at Port Canaveral on Saturday, including Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Treasure, and Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras and Carnival Freedom.
Sheriff Ivey used the arrests to warn cruise passengers about the consequences of excessive drinking. “If you can’t hold your liquor, then you definitely shouldn’t be out in public causing a scene like this and injuring random people including a child,” Ivey wrote in a Facebook post.
Cruise ship violence and passenger conflicts are not uncommon. In June 2026, five American cruise passengers were arrested in Nassau, Bahamas, after a fight at the port escalated into a violent struggle with police. According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, when officers attempted to search them at the station, a “violent struggle” broke out, with one female suspect allegedly throwing a chair through a glass door and a male suspect kicking out the remaining glass. Four police officers were injured in that incident, including one with a serious shoulder injury.
Sources
- Fox 13 News — Ohio couple accused of barging into cruise ship cabin, attacking family and 9-year-old; details on charges and incident
- Brevard County Sheriff’s Office — Sheriff Wayne Ivey’s account of the incident and warning about excessive drinking
- USA Today — Bahamas cruise passenger incident with five Americans arrested after port fight and police station altercation
