Location: Sheriff's Headquarters

Incident Date: 11/28/17

Incident Time: 1400 hours

City: Visalia

Posted by: Media Relations

Sheriff honors two with STAR Awards

Sheriff Mike Boudreaux presented the Sheriff of Tulare Action Recognition (STAR) Award to Carlos Martinez of Visalia and Michael Correia of Porterville during a ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, at the Sheriff’s Headquarters.

Separately, both men were driving in Tulare County when each of them pulled over when they saw someone in need. Martinez helped save a man’s life who was trying to commit suicide and Correia extinguished a vehicle fire.

 
Sheriff Boudreaux created the STAR Awards in 2014 to shine a light on ordinary people who have done extraordinary deeds. 

“It’s all about recognizing the good residents of Tulare County who have gotten involved in situations where they didn’t just stand idly by on the sidelines,” he said. “They jumped in to help somebody.”

Carlos Martinez, 37, a solid waste operator, was driving his route on Sept. 30, 2016 when he noticed a car blocking the roadway at the end of East Poplar Avenue and Pike Street where he normally turns around. 

“I looked into the car and saw the guy lying there. His skin was pale and he had a bag over his head,” he said. “Right away I knew something was wrong.”

He stepped out of his truck and looked inside the car. He knocked on the window but there was no response.

“He wasn’t moving at all,” he said. “I thought he was dead.”

Martinez called his supervisor who called 911. Once again, Martinez knocked on the window. The man moved a little bit and Martinez kept knocking. He said he thought about breaking the window and then the man looked him in the eye. 

“I told him to open the window,” Martinez said. 

The man in the car removed the bag and reached for the door handle, opening the door. He walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk where a pipe led from the exhaust pipe into the trunk. 

Following instructions from the emergency dispatcher he had on the phone by then, Martinez continued to talk to the man. A short time later, emergency personnel arrived, including Sheriff’s Deputy Christian Rodriguez who nominated Martinez for the STAR Award.

When Martinez went home that day and told his wife what happened, she said he saved the man’s life.
“It gave me a little warm feeling in my heart,” he said. 

Receiving the STAR Award from Sheriff Boudreaux is a great honor, Martinez said.

“It’s a great honor for me and I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said. “I don’t deserve it. I just did what any other person would have done.”

Michael Correia, 24, was driving north on Highway 65 on Sept. 1, 2017 when he noticed a truck on fire just north of North Grand Avenue in Porterville. He instinctively turned around to help.

He said he could see the truck was on fire next to a grassy field and since he carries a fire extinguisher in his vehicle, he knew he could help out before the Fire Department arrived.

“I put part of the fire out and talked to the guy,” he said. “I tried to keep it handled until Fire arrived on scene.”
While Correia appreciates the recognition from Sheriff Boudreaux, he said it wasn’t necessary.

“I think everybody should pull over and help someone when they need it because you never know when you’ll need it,” he said. “I try to keep a revolving inventory of giving going.” 

Correia works as a salesman for Porterville Rock and Recycle and he helps manage a stocker cattle operation.