HAHNVILLE – If you saw someone standing on a bridge preparing to jump would you try to save them?

Deputy Kenneth Delaune came upon just that scene last year when he was transporting an arrestee and saw a woman standing on the bridge that connects Luling and Destrehan.

Earlier Delaune had heard a report of a suicidal person in the area. The woman matched the description in the report.

As he approached her, the woman began to climb the guardrail in preparation to jump. Just as she leapt Delaune grabbed her arm and was able to pull her back onto the deck from the side of the bridge.

For his deed, Delaune was selected as the 2007 St. Charles Parish Officer of the Year.

“Deputy Delaune’s attention to detail and keen observation skills, combined with excellent physical condition and total disregard for his own personal safety enabled him to take quick action which saved the life of this distraught young lady,” Sheriff Greg Champagne said in a statement explaining the award.

Delaune is a two-year veteran of the St. Charles Sheriff’s Department and is in his fourth year as a police officer.