Video Good Samaritan aids Louisiana law enforcement officer apprehend alleged shoplifter
A woman in Louisiana earned commendation for assisting police in pursuing an individual suspected of shoplifting this past Saturday. (Credit: Slidell Police Department)
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A Louisiana woman’s endeavor to engage in nude swimming took a turn for the worse, according to officials, after she reportedly assaulted a sheriff’s representative who was answering a trespassing claim before finally giving herself up to deputies on Tuesday.
As per the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, officers were sent this past November to a home located in the Linville area of Marion after a call came in about a neighbor standing on another’s driveway, shouting and refusing to vacate the premises after being previously cautioned.
Upon the arrival of a patrol officer, authorities stated that the suspect was discovered unclothed and swimming in a body of water situated on the complainant’s property.
The woman was then identified as Erin Elizabeth Sutton, aged 41, of Marion. Sutton at first declined to leave the pond or converse with the officer, telling him she was “attempting to be a mermaid,” based on a Facebook message from the sheriff’s office.
Erin Elizabeth Sutton, 41, is accused of threatening a sheriff’s representative in Louisiana subsequent to being discovered skinny-dipping in a neighbor’s pond. She stated she was ‘attempting to be a mermaid,’ as per the authorities. (Union Parish Sheriff’s Office / Getty Images)
After multiple directives, Sutton eventually exited the pond. Due to the frigid temperatures, emergency medical personnel were contacted to assess her, authorities reported.
A blanket was furnished, and as the officer tried to guide Sutton inside a building to warm up, she supposedly rushed at him.
Authorities conveyed that Sutton disregarded numerous commands to cooperate and defied detention. A stun gun was used, but it proved ineffective, according to the sheriff’s office. Sutton was brought to the ground, where she purportedly went on resisting, striking and kicking the officer before being subdued.
The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office located in Farmerville, La., posted on Facebook that Erin Elizabeth Sutton, age 41, had allegedly attacked and menaced one of their officers subsequent to nude swimming in a neighbor’s pond, claiming she was “attempting to be a mermaid.” (Google Maps)
Sutton was taken to a medical facility for additional care. While en route, she allegedly threatened to murder officers and paramedics, authorities stated.
Because Sutton needed medical attention at the time, officers later sought arrest orders, which were endorsed by a judge in Louisiana’s Third Judicial District Court, as per the sheriff’s office.
Sutton turned herself in to officers on Jan. 6, 2025, and was taken into custody on several charges, including three counts of resisting an officer with force or violence, two counts of public intimidation, two counts of assault on a police officer, disturbing the peace/drunkenness and unlawful trespassing.
According to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, officers were dispatched in November to a residence within the Linville area of Marion after a caller made a report of a neighbor trespassing. (iStock)
Her bail was fixed at $62,000, officials disclosed.
Fox News Digital contacted the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office for added comments but did not get a response right away. It was not at once apparent if Sutton has secured legal representation.