Pursuit suspect attempts to swim away from authorities
A felony warrant suspect spent roughly an hour and a half in the Pacific Ocean near Will Rogers State Beach before Los Angeles County lifeguards moved in, surrounded him and assisted authorities in taking him into custody. (Credit: FOX 11 Los Angeles)
Several travelers who expected to be boarding a cruise from Port Canaveral found their vacation plans cut short after deputies discovered six passengers were wanted on outstanding warrants or accused of probation violations — sending them, as one Florida sheriff put it, to his “Iron Bar Lodge” instead.
“Oh Ship!!” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey joked in a social media post as he described the unusually eventful day for law enforcement at one of the busiest cruise terminals in the world.
The most serious arrest, according to the sheriff’s office and Brevard County jail records, involved 24-year-old Georgia resident Martell Murray. Deputies said Murray was booked on an out-of-state fugitive warrant accusing him of violating release conditions while facing pending murder charges.
The Carnival Liberty and Disney Dream cruise ships are seen docked at Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sept. 5, 2019. (Getty Images)
Officials said the warrant was connected to an alleged violation in an ongoing murder case. The sheriff’s office did not release the victim’s name, identify the jurisdiction overseeing the case or detail which condition of Murray’s release he was accused of breaking.
Martell Murray, 24, of Georgia, was arrested on an out-of-state fugitive warrant alleging he violated release conditions related to pending murder charges, the sheriff’s office said. (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office)
Murray was not the only would-be cruiser whose trip ended before departure. His travel companion, 24-year-old Kenderia Burney, was also taken into custody on a violation-of-probation warrant, Ivey said.
“Luckily these two still got to vacation together at the Lodge even though they got accommodations with separate sleeping quarters,” Ivey quipped.
Kenderia Burney, 24, was wanted on a violation-of-probation warrant, the sheriff’s office said. (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office)
READ MORE: Is Crip Mac a legitimate member of the Crips gang and is he disabled? Find out what happened to him.
Both Murray and Burney were booked into the Brevard County Jail on July 17 and remained in custody without bond as of Wednesday, jail records showed. Murray was booked as an out-of-state fugitive, while Burney was being held on an out-of-county warrant.
The deputies’ catch of the day did not end there.
Veronica Hamlet, 38, of Tampa, was arrested on a failure-to-appear warrant, according to the sheriff. Brevard County jail records listed her charge as an out-of-county warrant and showed that she was released the following day after posting $1,000 bond.
Veronica Hamlet, 38, of Tampa, was arrested on a failure-to-appear warrant, according to the sheriff. (Broward County Sheriff’s Office)
James Otha Brewton, 66, of Allendale, South Carolina, was also taken into custody on a violation-of-probation warrant, Ivey said. Jail records showed Brewton was booked on an out-of-county warrant and released July 18 after posting $500 bond.
“It’s smooth sailing from there,” the sheriff said.
The Norwegian Breakaway, Carnival breeze and Norwegian Sun cruise ships are pictured in Port Canaveral, Florida. (Getty Images)
Two additional passengers also found trouble waiting for them after they returned from their cruise.
Deputies stopped the unnamed travelers as they disembarked and determined that both were on felony probation but allegedly had left the country without receiving permission from their probation officers, Ivey said.
The sheriff said the two would be enjoying stays at their respective “lodges” once probation officials completed the required paperwork.
Authorities did not identify those passengers or disclose the crimes for which they were on probation.
The sheriff’s office did not identify the ships or cruise lines connected to the six passengers.
“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!!” he said.
