Ohio Pair Arrested After Breaking Into Cruise Ship Cabin and Attacking Family With Child

Two Ohio residents face criminal charges after authorities say they violently confronted a family aboard a cruise ship docked at Port Canaveral, Florida. Gannon Jacox, 29, and Brooklyn Hicks, 28, were apprehended when the vessel returned to port following the altercation that left three people injured, according to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.

The incident began when Jacox and Hicks were drinking and creating a disturbance in a hallway, prompting a family member to request they lower their noise level. Rather than comply, Hicks confronted the individual while Jacox recorded the exchange on his cellphone and urged his companion to escalate the situation, the sheriff’s account indicated.

The pair then forcibly entered the family’s cabin where a 9-year-old child was present. During the ensuing physical altercation, Jacox struck all three family members, including the child, while Hicks threw multiple punches at the victims, Ivey said in a statement posted to social media.

Jacox sustained an eye injury during the confrontation that may have resulted from either one of the victims or Hicks’ punches. All three targets of the attack avoided serious injury, though criminal charges followed their arrest. Jacox was charged with burglary with battery and child abuse without great bodily harm, while Hicks faced burglary with battery and battery charges.

The specific cruise ship involved remains unidentified. Four vessels were scheduled to dock at Port Canaveral that day: 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 as an opportunity to caution cruise passengers about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption. He emphasized that intoxicated individuals who cause public disturbances and injure others—particularly children—should reconsider their actions and presence in the jurisdiction.