10/26/2025
𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗬 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗙’𝗦 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗨𝗧𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗭
Citrus County, FL – It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of School Resource Officer Marcial Rodriguez, affectionately known as Deputy Rod, badge number 301, who passed away unexpectedly on the night of October 24, 2025, immediately following his shift. Deputy Rodriguez was a cherished part of our School Resource Officer team and a dedicated member of our agency since August 21, 2000.
Throughout his career, Deputy Rodriguez embodied the spirit of service, safety, and compassion for our community. He had a distinguished career in law enforcement with various important roles, starting as a Deputy Sheriff before transitioning to a detective, serving as both a Community Crimes Detective and a Domestic Violence Detective before becoming a School Resource Officer in 2018. With roles as a Crime Scene Technician, a member of the Bomb Team, and the Crisis Negotiation Team, we knew Deputy Rodriguez would be exceptionally prepared to handle critical situations within our schools.
While Deputy Rodriguez received many awards for his service, none are as notable as the letters of appreciation from citizens and community leaders. These letters are filled with heartfelt sentiments about his positive energy, humor, and unwavering support. Students at Crystal River High School regularly wrote to CCSO to express their gratitude for the significant impact he had on their lives. He was a comforting presence in the schools, where students found reassurance, guidance, and inspiration in his approachable demeanor. For many, he was a symbol of stability and kindness. One former student wrote, “You have helped me through a lot of hard life situations. You are a good dude and willing to help anyone at any time.”
Deputy Rodriguez was known to go above and beyond, and examples of his dedication to the community are numerous, from assisting crossing guards during bad weather to actively engaging in meaningful discussions about serious topics like alcohol and drug use with students.
“𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳; 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥,” remarked Sheriff David Vincent. “𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦.”
Deputy Rodriguez leaves behind his beloved wife, Carol, and their sons, Isaiah and Josiah. Our hearts go out to them during this incredibly difficult time.
We kindly ask all to keep the Rodriguez family in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this difficult time. Further details regarding memorial services will be communicated as they become available.
(1726)
