ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas — A man who planned an ambush that killed three law enforcement officers could soon walk free.
Kenneth Vodochodsky was convicted of helping his roommate Jeremiah Engleton plan an attack on law enforcement that left three officers dead and others injured.
The attack happened on Oct. 12, 1999.
Engleton shot and killed Deputy Thomas Monse, Deputy Mark Stephenson, and State Trooper Terry Miller when they responded to what was a fake 911 call.
Engleton was hiding in the brush near his home in Atascosa County when the officers responded, and fired multiple rounds at the officers.
Authorities said Vodochodsky helped plan the attack, and Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward said an investigation found circumstantial evidence that Vodochodsky was at the home during the ambush.
Vodochodsky was convicted and sentenced to death in the early 2000s, but the death sentence was overturned, according to Soward, because Vodochodsky didn’t actually the pull the trigger that killed the officers.
Vodochodsky was later sentenced to three 30-year sentences, and is soon up for parole.
His parole request was denied in 2015.
As sheriff of Atascosa County, Soward has always fought for justice. But this time it’s personal.
“It was a shock to the community, to all of us, and we still grieve it,” he said.
Soward was a deputy chief in 1999, and said the fallen officers were like family.
“I’m the one that put them on that schedule to work that night, and they were friends of mine,” he said.
Soward started his campaign on Facebook, asking the community to sign a parole protest letter.
“The man has not been in prison long enough for what he’s convicted of—period,” Soward said.
Vodochodsky has been in prison for close to 20 years.
“I want them (on the parole board) to look at it from that standpoint, from the eyes of Atascosa County,” Soward said. “That’s 20 years that eight kids don’t have a father, and that’s what I think about. I don’t think about him sitting in prison for 20 years and whether that’s enough time for him.”
For Mary Alice Monse – who lost her husband in the attack – 20 years has been at a standstill.
“The loss is still very real, and the loss is still very painful,” she said. “It’s real hard when all you have is a picture, and it’s real hard when all you have is a gravestone to go see.”
Monse has her own message for the parole board.
“It didn’t just affect me—it affected my children, it affects my grandchildren,” Monse said. “I want them to know that even if all these years have passed it is as real to me and my kids as it was that day.”
Monse said her granddaughter asked if she could write a letter to the parole board as well.
“She wants to say, ‘Hey, this was my grandpa, and I wanted him to be a part of my life—and you took him out of it,’” Monse said.
Soward said the parole protest letters are available at the Atascosa Sheriff’s Office at 1108 Campbell in Jourdanton. They’re also available at the Good Health Store in Pleasanton or through email.
He said to sign and date the letter, as well as list the county and city you live in, and return it to them so they can send the letter to the Texas Parole Board. Or, you can write your own letter to the parole board.
For more information, or to find out how to pick up a letter, call the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office at (830)769-3434 ext. #2224, #2226, or #2225 or email Atascosa.county.sheriff@acso-tx.org.
Vodochodsky is up for a parole review in March. His scheduled release from prison is October of 2029.