Disembarking your cruise at the end of vacation is always bittersweet, but one Kentucky man had an especially unfortunate end to his vacation when he was arrested at PortMiami.
Dominic Weaver, a 47-year-old father, was arrested in Miami, Florida last week at the cruise terminal while disembarking his cruise ship. The man was charged for unpaid child support. Following his arrest, Weaver was sent back to Kentucky after being taken into custody by local authorities at PortMiami.
It is not reported which cruise ship Weaver was vacationing on, as many different cruise lines sail from Miami, Florida. This includes Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and MSC Cruises.
Mike O’Connell - the attorney who handles child support cases for Jefferson County - commented on the arrest case. O’Connell explained that Weaver has actually been on the run for many years due to unpaid child support in Kentucky. The man has been avoiding authorities for over 10 years and apparently owes more than $100,000 in child support.
"I don't know when he left, but he fled the jurisdiction, and from the date of his sentence until today, and even today, he's not paid one cent of child support," said O'Connell to WDRB News.
The child support division from Kentucky supposedly flew out detectives to Miami for the arrest. Weaver was then brought back to Louisville by authorities. Now, he is locked up in downtown Louisville for his unpaid child support.
Continuing, O’Connell explained, “[Weaver] was found, fortunately, but this is the interesting part by the Miami Police getting off a cruise ship last week in Miami," O'Connell said. In fact, the attorney said he has never seen anything like this arrest before.
"This is one of the most egregious events that brings something to light that I think I've ever seen," said O’Connell.
When disembarking a cruise ship in the United States, all guests are required to go through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). During this time, guests collect their luggage and pass through Customs and Immigration before exiting the terminal. Guests need to show their documentation (usually a birth certificate or passport) to comply with U.S entry requirements.
For a criminal on the run, passing through CBP after disembarking a cruise ship is risky behavior. Face-to-face immigration provides the perfect opportunity for an arrest by authorities, making it difficult for a criminal to fly under the radar when cruising.
Back in 2019, Weaver was sentenced to five years probation due to flagrant non support, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections. The probation supervision began on October 7, 2019 and supposedly ended on October 7, 2024 for the Class D felony.
According to WDRB, the county attorney’s office akso found that Weaver owed more than $99,000 in unpaid child support in 2021 and has “several years of prison hanging over his head.”
Now, O'Connell estimates the father owes anywhere from $114,000 to $120,000 in the state of Kentucky for unpaid child support. The attorney stated that Weaver currently has four criminal cases with the child support division. The attorney stated, ”Two more of those are ready for indictment again of more felonies.”
"I'm going to ask the court at the next opportunity to revoke his sentence and sentencing to four years in the state penitentiary for this offense," O'Connell said. Currently, Weaver is scheduled to be arraigned on January 6, 2025 for his unpaid child support charges.
Other cruise ship arrests
Weaver isn’t the first criminal to be arrested while cruising this year. Most of these arrested passengers face detainment after disembarking their cruise ship while passing through customs. For example, the Galveston County Daily News reported the Port of Galveston has arrested 327 cruise passengers in the last two years.
This year alone, there have been multiple headlines about passengers being detained and arrested when disembarking cruise ships. Back in August 2024, four cruise passengers were arrested at PortMiami for credit card fraud while disembarking their MSC cruise ship. Three men and one woman were accused of using fraudulent credit cards to cash large amounts of money in the casino while cruising on MSC Magnifica.
When the cruise ship security became suspicious of the behavior, they contacted the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Upon further investigation, the four passengers had also used a fraudulent card to book the reservation. Following the arrest, the four passengers - all in their 30s - were charged with fraud and identity theft.
In addition, a 29-year-old mother was arrested for child abandonment this year, leaving her two young children at home alone in Houston, Texas to cruise from Florida. The 8-year-old and 6-year-old children were found alone at the family’s apartment, which was in total disarray when authorities arrived.
Apparently, the mother left a webcam running to check on her children while she was cruising. The kids were apparently in good health considering the situation, although they were removed from the mother's care. The woman was arrested after returning from her cruise in Texas, although she tried to evade arrest by using a false identity.
For this reason, if you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you might find yourself in hot water with authorities when disembarking a cruise. Eric Mathney, a criminal defense attorney in South Florida, states on his website, “If you have an outstanding warrant, you can find yourself detained and taken to the local jail to be extradited back to the Florida county, or even the state, from which the warrant originates.”
In addition, those with warrants in another Florida county or in another state could find themselves being held without bond in the Fort Lauderdale or Miami-Date County jail. “Make sure to check for warrants before you travel. And if you know that you have an outstanding warrant, do not travel until the warrant is resolved,” states Mathney.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
