Deputy Pulls Woman Off Sunshine Skyway Bridge Ledge

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — A Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office court processing deputy was on his way home from work Monday night when an unusual sight grabbed his attention. A woman was sitting on a ledge near the top span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

Concerned for the woman’s safety, Cpl. Howard “Glenn” Finley pulled over around 5:55 p.m. Nov. 7 to find out more. When Finley walked up to the 52-year-old woman, he saw her on the ledge, with her feet dangling over the water, an email from the sheriff’s office said. The woman “was crying with her hands covering her face.”

Finley feared the woman was about to jump, the email said. He was able to approach her undetected, grab her and pull her off the ledge.

“Corporal Finley detained the woman while she cried and said, ‘Please let me die, let me jump,’” the email added.

After speaking with the woman, whose name is not being released, Finley learned she was upset over personal issues.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper took the woman into productive custody under the Baker Act, the sheriff’s office noted.

Finley has worked for the sheriff’s office for more than 28 years.

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