A man was arrested after allegedly kissing a 5-year-old girl on a cruise ship.

The cruise ship "Carnival Sunrise" part of the Carnival Cruise Line, is seen moored at a quay in the port of Miami, Florida, on December 23, 2020.
The cruise ship "Carnival Sunrise" part of the Carnival Cruise Line, is seen moored at a quay in the port of Miami, Florida, on December 23, 2020.© Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

Ernest Richard Bishop Jr., 51, was arrested by Miami-Dade police on Monday after the Carnival Sunrise returned to port in Miami, local TV station WPLG reported. He was charged with lewd and lascivious conduct.

According to the station, the arrest report says the girl's father witnessed Bishop kiss the girl on the mouth while the vessel was at sea on Saturday night.

Bishop, of Morning View, Kentucky, declined to speak with Miami-Dade police after his arrest, according to the report. He was released after posting a $7,500 bond, WPLG reported. Miami-Dade Police have been contacted for comment.

"Following a complaint, the Carnival Sunrise security team investigated a matter over the weekend, followed proper protocol, and notified shoreside law enforcement, which has since taken action," a Carnival Cruise Line spokesperson told Newsweek.

The spokesperson added: "The guest in question has been banned from all future cruising on Carnival."

The Carnival Sunrise is one of 26 ships listed on the Carnival Cruise Line website. Boasting a guest capacity of almost 3,000, the ship left Miami on September 29 for a four-day cruise to Key West, Florida, and Cozumel, Mexico.

The alleged incident aboard the ship comes just weeks after police in Massachusetts and the FBI launched an investigation into a report of a sexual assault on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship.