Marysville police chief retires while on leave, weeks after officer’s death
Marysville Police Chief Christian Sachs, who called for tougher laws after one of his officers was killed in March, announced on Thursday that he was retiring as head of the law enforcement agency for the Northern California city of about 12,000 people.
Sachs, 51, had worked for the Police Department for about 24 years, and he had led the police agency for more than seven years.
“The loss of one of our officers in the line of duty shook me to my core, and in the days that followed, I gave serious thought to stepping away,” Sachs said in his announcement, sent via email Thursday evening to news outlets in the Sacramento region.
Officer Osmar Rodarte, who had worked two years for the Marysville Police Department, was killed March 26 while serving a search warrant with a team of law enforcement agencies that had converged on the cul-de-sac in Olivehurst, about 40 miles north of Sacramento. The 30-year-old officer was a member of a SWAT team and participating in a multi-county investigation into suspected drug trafficking.
Authorities have said Rick David Oliver, 60, a suspected low-level drug dealer whose warrant was one of 20 served in Yuba, Sutter, Butte and Tehama counties during the investigation that morning, ambushed officers inside a Kestrel Court home, shooting and killing Rodarte. Oliver was shot and killed after officers returned fire.
In a March 31 news conference, Sachs called on California lawmakers to “wake up” and work toward tougher criminal laws as Oliver was identified as a felon and sex offender, with a history of evading court hearings, who was disqualified from possessing a gun.
On April 11, a few days after memorial services were held for Rodarte, Sachs was placed on administrative leave from the Police Department. But city officials, including Marysville Mayor Chris Branscum, at the time did not explain or add context to the circumstances of Sachs’ absence.
“Leadership positions such as chief of police come with immense responsibility and intense scrutiny-both from within the department and from the public we serve,” Sach said in his announcement Thursday. “That is the nature of the role, and I accepted that when I took the oath of office.”
Branscum on Thursday evening confirmed Sachs’ decision to retire from the Police Department. In a news release, city officials announced that Lt. Vance Nabeta will assume leadership of the department.
“The city thanks Chief Sachs for his dedicated service to the department and the Marysville community,” city officials said in the news release.
City Manager Jim Schaad said Sachs tendered his resignation Thursday and that Sachs did not provide the city with a reason for his retirement.
Sachs has led the Police Department since stepping in as interim chief in late 2017 and was hired as police chief in February 2018, the Appeal-Democrat has reported. City officials said Thursday that Sachs had worked for the department since 2001.
“After deep reflection and many conversations with those closest to me, I have made the decision to retire as Chief of Police,” Sachs said in Thursday’s statement. “I retire with pride in what I have accomplished and with deep gratitude to those I have worked with and the public I care so much about. To everyone who offered their condolences in this trying time, thank you.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 7:08 PM.
