File this one under things you don’t see every day — even in Louisiana.

A 41-year-old Union Parish woman is facing a long list of charges after allegedly attacking a sheriff’s deputy in November, following an incident in which she was found naked in a neighbor’s pond, claiming she was “trying to be a mermaid.”

According to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office (UPSO), deputies were called to a residence in Linville after a neighbor reported that the woman — later identified as Erin Elizabeth Sutton of Marion — was screaming on their driveway after repeatedly being told not to trespass. When deputies arrived, Sutton had escalated the situation by stripping naked and skinny dipping in the neighbor’s pond, because apparently that was the logical next step.

UPSO shared that Sutton initially refused to leave the water, explaining to a deputy that she was attempting to live out her aquatic fantasy.

Eventually, she complied with orders to exit the pond. Given the cold temperatures, emergency medical services were called, and deputies provided Sutton with a blanket. But as a deputy attempted to guide her inside a residence to warm up, things took a violent turn.

According to the sheriff’s office, Sutton suddenly charged the deputy, ignored repeated commands to stop, and forced the deputy to deploy a taser — which had no effect. Deputies then took Sutton to the ground, where she allegedly continued resisting, kicking and punching the deputy.

She was eventually restrained, and EMS transported her to the hospital. During that transport, authorities say Sutton threatened to kill deputies and paramedics, because nothing says “I’m helping my case” quite like death threats from the back of an ambulance.

Following the incident, arrest warrants were obtained and signed by a Third Judicial District Court judge. Sutton surrendered Tuesday at the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office and was taken into custody.

She now faces an impressive list of charges, including:

• Three counts of resisting an officer with force or violence

• Two counts of public intimidation

• Two counts of battery of a police officer

• Disturbing the peace/drunkenness

• Criminal trespassing

Her bond was set at $62,000.

Authorities also noted the risks associated with alcohol abuse, citing the Mayo Clinic, which warns that alcohol use disorder can place both the individual and others in serious danger — a point that seems painfully obvious in this case.

Unfortunately, this is far from an isolated incident. In recent years, police have dealt with intoxicated individuals riding horses on freeways, engaging in high-speed chases, and assaulting officers during traffic stops — reminders that substance abuse combined with public disorder rarely ends well.

As for the “mermaid” defense, it’s unlikely to hold much water in court.