Vacation plans at Port Canaveral came to a hard stop this week when deputies with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office pulled several cruise passengers out of line and into custody. Investigators say the travelers either had active warrants or allegedly violated probation or release conditions. One of them, a Georgia man, is accused of breaking the terms of his release tied to a pending murder charge. The arrests happened around both embarkation and disembarkation and prompted a blunt public reminder from the sheriff’s office.
Arrests at the port
Deputies arrested multiple people as they moved through the cruise terminal, according to News4JAX. The outlet reports that two passengers were taken into custody before they could board and at least two more were detained after they stepped off their ship.
Who was taken into custody
Local postings and booking logs identified the Georgia passenger as 24-year-old Martell Murray and his cabinmate as 24-year-old Kenderia Burney. Deputies said Murray’s arrest was tied to an alleged violation of his release conditions on pending murder charges, and Burney was wanted on a probation warrant, according to Cruise Law News. The same reporting notes that Murray and Burney were held without bond, while a Tampa woman, Veronica Hamlet, was booked and released on a 1,000 dollar bond and a South Carolina man, James Brewton, posted 500 dollars.
Which ships were in port that day
Port schedules show that several large ships, including Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas, Disney’s Disney Wish and Carnival’s Carnival Glory, were all calling at Port Canaveral on July 17, according to CruiseMapper. The heavy traffic at the Orlando-area homeport helps explain why agencies time their checks for busy boarding and debarkation windows.
Sheriff's warning
Sheriff Wayne Ivey took to the department’s social media channels to warn would-be vacationers that outstanding warrants will not be overlooked, telling followers, “you better believe that we will lock you up,” according to News4JAX. The post, which featured booking photos, drew thousands of reactions across social platforms.
Legal notes
Probation terms and release conditions can include strict travel rules, and deputies said two passengers who disembarked were detained after investigators learned they were on felony probation and had not obtained permission to travel, Cruise Law News reported. Those individuals remain in custody while probation officers complete the required paperwork.
Officials have not released additional court filings or detailed narratives about the murder-related case. Records and any formal charges will be available through the Brevard County jail and court system as they are filed, and this story will be updated if new information is released.
