Officer credited with saving woman downplays his role

Law enforcement officers who do heroic deeds often will downplay the situation, saying they were just doing their job.

That was the comment made by Ocala Police Department Sgt. Greg Martin after he played a key role Monday in averting what could have been a tragedy.

Martin is a veteran officer and former SWAT team member who is trained to deal with crisis situations. Late Monday, he was among the officers called to the 300 block of Southeast 31st Street, where, officials said, a distraught woman planned to jump from an overpass onto the railroad tracks below, in front of a train.

Martin said the woman was holding onto the outside edge of the railing with her feet touching a small ledge on the side. He said he talked with her about her family, children — anything to calm her mind. He said she told him that she was tired of the struggle of life and wanted to end it all.

Martin said that as the woman began to tire, her feet slipped a couple of times. During one of those occasions, a train went by but she held on, he said.

At one point, as the woman's feet slipped, Martin reach through the railing and got hold of her belt. He said Sgt. Sandra Fernland and Officer Casey Eades then reached over and got hold of the woman's upper body.

Lt. Lou Biondi and Detective Dan Clark also helped in lifting the woman over the railing to safety.

"I was at the right place at the right time," said Martin, the supervisor of OPD's District 2 Property Crimes detectives.

Martin's supervisor, Lt. Dan Wilson of the Major Crimes Division, said, "Greg did an outstanding job to be able to convince the woman to re-think her action of jumping."

Wilson also commended Martin's actions in getting hold of the woman's belt and hanging on to her until other officers could help.

The woman was taken to a local mental health facility under the Baker Act, which allows law enforcement to intervene if a person is considered a threat to themselves or others.

In addition to helping save the woman, Martin was lauded in February 2009 for apprehending a machine gun-toting man who had just robbed a pharmacy off Southeast 17th Street.

In both cases, he said, he was just doing his job.

Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118 or austin.miller@starbanner.com.