- April 24, 2024
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Last year was a whirlwind for Cpl. Agustin Rodriguez. Then, months into 2021 he found out he was named the 2020 Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Deputy of the Year.
“It was definitely an honor,” Rodriguez said. “But the word I’d use is surprising. It was such a crazy time – quarantine, being separated from your team for months, phases of not being really busy, then being extremely busy and not being able to interview suspects.”
“Auggie tends to think outside the box and is creative on how to work and solve cases.”
RICK STALY, Flagler County Sheriff
Sheriff Rick Staly said Rodriguez was the lead investigator on 40 cases last year in the major case unit, most of them leading to arrests.
“Augie tends to think outside the box and is creative on how to work and solve cases,” Staly said.
The major case unit, which is part of the Investigative Services Division, deals with major crimes such as robberies, shootings and homicides. The unit has 11 detectives and two supervisors. Rodriguez, who was promoted to a supervisor in January, considers the Deputy of the Year award a team honor.
“I received the award as an individual, but I certainly take it as a team award during such a challenging time,” he said.
Staly credited Rodriguez with the arrest of two suspects in an October 2019 murder. They are currently awaiting trial.
“It was a true whodunit type of case,” Staly said. “He was very tenacious. It took him to Virginia twice, Miami and Putnam County, working with agencies across the country, all the way to California, and the FBI.”
The case started with the victims. Palm Coast resident Deon O’Neal Jenkins, 25, had been shot 15 times by a masked assailant with an AK-47, and another person was wounded in a vehicle at the Kangaroo Express on the corner of Belle Terre and Palm Coast parkways.
“He was covered head to toe, completely concealed on camera,” Rodriguez said of the shooter.
Rodriguez assisted the lead detective for months without much progress. During the COVID-19 lockdown last year the case went cold before Rodriguez started working on it with his supervisor at the time, George Hristakopoulos, during a lull. Rodriguez was assigned as lead detective in May 2020.
“We had very little to go on,” he said. “Through a combination of technology, cell phones and good old-fashioned interviews and police work, we connected the dots.”
The murder suspect was not closely associated with the victim, so it wasn’t a traditional investigation where you can establish motive, Rodriguez said.
“The suspect we ended up arresting did not have any identifiable motive or means to kill the victim based on the evidence at the scene,” he said. “His brother was good friends with the victim. An argument led to some threats being made.”
Rodriguez believes the suspect was under the influence, acting irrationally “and had this brand new AK-47 he wanted to try out.”
“We had very little to go on. Through a combination of technology, cell phones and good old-fashioned interviews and police work we connected the dots.”
CPL. AGUSTIN RODRIGUEZ
The investigation lasted 15 months, and 2,000 man-hours were spent on the case before Derrius Braxton Bauer was charged with first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder, and Marcus Avery Chamblin was charged with principal to first-degree murder and principal to attempted second-degree murder.
“The fact that we live in a county that doesn’t have a lot of violent crime and we have a sheriff who is gung-ho on getting the job done, we were able to put in the hours and effort and energy to get a positive resolution for the family after such a terrible tragedy,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez, 38, is married and has two children. He became a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy in 2012 after working 2½ years as an officer in the Bunnell Police Department. He joined the special investigations unit in 2014 and the major case unit in September 2019.
Becoming a law enforcement officer wasn’t on his radar until he was 25 or 26, he said.
“I tried the entrepreneurial route but nothing worked,” he said. “My dad is a military veteran and he suggested law enforcement."
Rodriguez graduated from police academy at Daytona State College in 2009.
“I quickly identified with the investigations section at police academy dealing with what I do now,” he said. “I realized being a detective was likely my dream and my future as far as being a law enforcement officer.”
Rodriguez was chosen Deputy of the Year from among 12 Deputy of the Month winners.
“A committee looks at all those deputies and makes a recommendation to me,” Staly said. “I’ve always approved their recommendations.”
Rodriguez was also named Officer of the Year for Flagler County by Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida.
“What stands out about Cpl. Rodriguez is his dedication to solving major crimes and bringing justice to the victims,” Staly said.
