Fornicating couple on high diving board charged with trespass

Officials in Gainesville probably did not envision the way a high-dive board in a city park would be used early on Thursday when they approved the motto “It Starts in Parks.” According to the Gainesville Police Department, an officer spotted a couple having sex on the more than 30-foot-high diving board at the H. Spurgeon Cherry/Westside Pool.

Officer Michael Henavan said he was on an increased patrol around the pool at around 12:10 a.m. when he heard noises coming from inside the pool area, which is surrounded by a locked, chain-link fence.



The couple ceased their activities when Henavan's flashlight beam found them. After being ordered to return to the ground, the 21-year-old woman and 24-year-old man were each issued a notice to appear in court on a trespassing charge. Police said it is not illegal to have sex in a public place.

However, they said, state laws and city ordinances prohibit public exhibition of sex organs and use of public facilities after hours. The city's pool supervisor, Jeff Moffitt, said the high dive was cleaned with bleach before the pool reopened on Thursday morning.