A Gainesville woman just couldn't resist the divine order to take a dip in Bernie Machen's pool.
At 10:45 p.m. Monday, staff members at the UF President's House called police and reported a woman trespassing and swimming in the pool, according to Capt. Jeff Holcomb, public information officer for the University Police Department.
This is not the first time trespassers have attempted to swim in the President's House pool, Holcomb said.
The officers who found the woman, who was noticeably disoriented, thought she was drunk.
As it turns out, the woman was not drunk.
While officers talked with the woman, according to Holcomb, she told them that God told her to get in the pool.
After officers apprehended and spoke with her, the woman invoked the Baker Act. Under the Baker Act, patients are taken to mental health facilities, where they are observed for a maximum of three days.
Officers took the woman to Shands, where she was presumably assessed, and then taken to Shands Vista, one of two local Baker Act facilities.
Before leaving, officers gave her a trespass warning, which means she could be arrested if she returns to UF campus.
Because of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act restrictions, her name cannot be released.
UF president Bernie Machen moved out of the President's House and into a private residence in 2006.
The house, 2151 W University Ave., is now used to host events for UF organizations.
