Hey, does anybody have a broom? Marietta chief credits citizen with helping officer

Marietta Police Officer Kenneth Martin carries a gun, pepper spray, flashlight and everything he thought he would ever need.

This week, he learned there’s one item that doesn’t fit on his belt: a broom.

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When he saw bales of hay creating a road hazard on Interstate 75, Good Samaritan Ed Sanders pulled over and grabbed a large push broom from his truck and helped a police officer sweep the hay away. ‘He just stepped out and started sweeping,’ Martin said. Several officers arrived shortly later, but by then the bulk of the hay had been cleared.

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Now the officer wants to thank the man with the broom who helped him complete his job - and possibly saved his life.

Martin was dispatched to Interstate 75 north near Delk Road around noon on Monday for a road hazard.

“I drove up and sure enough there were several bales of hay strewn across four lanes of the interstate,” Martin said Friday.

Cars were slowing and swerving around the hay, causing a traffic nightmare.

Martin requested additional officers and a “really big broom” from dispatch, but no one was available to help immediately. Fearing the hay would cause traffic accidents, Martin said he couldn’t wait for backup and began the cleanup alone.

He tried to use his patrol car and some cones to block traffic, but there was no way he could shut down the interstate alone, he said.

“I was trying to kick hay off road and pick it up with my hands,” the officer said. “I didn’t have a broom or anything. We don’t usually respond to calls where we need a broom.”

That’s when Ed Sanders pulled up and grabbed a large push broom from his truck.

“He just stepped out and started sweeping,” Martin said.

Several officers arrived shortly later, but by then the bulk of the hay had been cleared.

“Due to Mr. Sanders’ unselfish acts, the interstate was cleared in a timely manner and a potentially dangerous situation to motorists in the City of Marietta was diffused,” Marietta Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Murphy said.

It took about 20 minutes to remove all of the debris and reopen the road, Martin said.

After the cleanup, Sanders handed the officer a cold bottle of water from his cooler and drove off.

“I never had this happen before. No one ever stops to help,” said Martin, an officer for just under five years. “I’m just thankful nobody got in a wreck.”

On Friday, Chief Dan Flynn honored Sanders and called him a role model.

Police said they do not encourage citizens to put themselves in harm’s way, but appreciate Sanders’ help.

“Police officers routinely find themselves in situations that could potentially prove to be disastrous,” Murphy said. “However it is rare that a citizen stops out of the goodness of his heart to assist when there is a need.”