'Santiago Standard': Friends, Colleagues Honor Deputy Who Passed Away

Folks at the Tulsa County Courthouse are honoring a deputy who died unexpectedly at age 40.

Tulsa County Deputy Santiago Rodriguez died during a medical emergency on Wednesday morning while off-duty.

Friends said Deputy Rodriguez always gave 110 percent. They said sometimes he stayed late waiting for a verdict or would jump into the middle of a mess to keep people calm.

"There's many hours we were down here way late, and Deputy Rodriguez was the guy that was hanging out making sure that we get escorted out of the courtroom or escorted to our cars," said Steve Kunzweiler, Tulsa County District Attorney.

Friends of Tulsa County Deputy Santiago Rodriguez said he was a light in a place that often sees such darkness.

"I'd walk in. It was like, okay, Santiago's here. Things are good," said Kunzweiler. "Whenever you came into contact with him, he just would set you at ease."

"He was just uplifting. He was somebody who could change the mood of the room," said Kevin Gray, Tulsa County Assist. District Attorney.

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said Rodriguez represented the better half of humanity.

"All of us are just trying to process it right now. Just, how does a young man like that, so early, so caring, how does a guy like that get taken away? We deal with a lot of really horrific crimes out there and a lot of people who obviously want damage on our community. You just wish that good people would be able to survive, and we all just learn from their example, and he was one of those people that taught a lot of things to me just by his presence and his kindness, and willingness to serve," said Kunzweiler.

Rodriguez was a member of the Navy Reserve and served the Sheriff’s Office for 14 years where he spent much of his time at the courthouse.

"It's gonna be terrible the first trial we go into that Deputy Rodriguez isn't there to have our backs, to be there to calm a situation down, to help an inmate settle down who is maybe facing something difficult or even a family who is having a tough time accepting what's going on in court. It will be a rough time the first time we get ready to reach a verdict and he's not standing there," said Gray.

"His professionalism was one of those things that resonated with me as a prosecutor. He was so polite to prisoners. He was so polite to the court staff. He was so polite to prosecutors and defense attorneys. He truly embodied what I think our criminal court process is all about is just show some fundamental fairness to everybody in the process," said Kunzweiler.

"People come here and they have something significant happening in their life or they have something at stake in the court room, and it's nice to have kind people who will just give you a smile or will give you the dignity and respect that he always did and I loved that about him," said Corbin Brewster, Chief Public Defender. "He was available and kind to everyone."

"It was always yes sir, no sir whether you were an inmate, [...] or you were the judge on the bench," said Gray.

Friends said he filled a room with laughter and loved his four children.

"For the hours that they shared him with us, we're very, very grateful," said Gray.

They said everyone should strive for the Santiago standard.

"He was polite. He was kind. He was thoughtful. He was friendly. He set the bar," said Gray.