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Thread: Kenneth Vodochodsky - Texas

  1. #1
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    Kenneth Vodochodsky - Texas







    Vodochodsky parole protest in works


    By SUE BROWN
    The Pleasanton Express

    Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward confirmed that Kenneth Vodochodsky will come before the parole board for early release sometime in the next few months.

    Vodochodsky was a friend of Jeremiah Engleton who lured law enforcement officers to his home on Corgey Road on October 12, 1999.

    Engleton had been arrested for domestic violence and was bailed out by Vodochodsky. The pair then visited a local gun shop and bought several hundred rounds of ammunition.

    Three officers were killed that night by Engleton, Atascosa County Sheriff deputies Mark Stephenson, Thomas Monse and DPS Trooper Terry Miller. Two more were injured, Pleasanton Police Officer Louis Tudyk and retired Border Patrol Officer Carl Fisher.

    Vodochodsky was originally convicted of Capital Murder by a Karnes County jury where the trial was moved on a change of venue and sentenced to death. The death penalty sentence was overturned by an appellate court and Vodochodsky later pled guilty to Murder in a plea bargain agreement with the State and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

    He is scheduled to be reviewed for parole later this year.

    “Myself along with the murdered officer’s families are asking anyone who would like to join us in protesting the parole to do so. Form letters are available at the sheriff’s office for your convenience to sign,” said Sheriff Soward.

    Sample Letter

    Texas Board of Pardons and Parole
    c/o Victim’s Services/TDCJ
    8712 Shoal Creek Blvd. Ste. #265
    Austin, Texas 78757

    Re: Vodochodsky, Kenneth
    TDCJ# 01362329

    Honorable Parole Board Members,

    This letter is to protest the parole of Kenneth Vodochodsky who was convicted for his part in the murders of Atascosa County Deputies Mark Stephenson and Thomas Monse and DPS Trooper Terry Miller. This crime had a terrible impact on many people in Atascosa County including the family of three officers who were brutally ambushed and murdered. This crime also left three ladies as widows and eight children fatherless. In writing this letter, I feel that the offender has not served an adequate amount of time in prison for the crimes he has been convicted of. As a citizen of _____________________ County, I feel that it is in the best interest of society that this offender be incarcerated for as long as legally possible. I respectfully ask that the parole board deny parole to Kenneth Vodochodsky at this time. Thank you for your consideration on this matter and your service to the State of Texas.

    Respectfully,

    ________________________
    Signature

    Date: ___________

    ___________________________
    City of Residence


    http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/new..._in_works.html

  2. #2
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Remembering 'the most horrific night in Atascosa County history,' 20 years later

    Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the three officer's deaths as the community gathers to honor their memory

    By Vanessa Croix
    KEN 5 News

    PLEASANTON, Texas — Saturday marks 20 years since the deadly ambush that forever changed Atascosa County, and two decades later this community vows to never let their memories fade away.

    Just after 8 p.m. on Oct.12, 1999, Atascosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas Monse responded to a mobile home off the intersection of Corey and Coughran roads. When the deputy arrived, Jeremiah Engleton was waiting. He shot and killed Monse.

    A few minutes later, Deputy Mark Stephensen arrived at the residence, and was immediately shot and killed.

    When the deputies weren’t responding to radio calls, State Trooper Terry Miller responded to the home. Engleton shot Miller just after he was able to send in the call, “Officer down.”

    Pleasanton Police Chief Ronald Sanchez was a patrol officer then, just two years into his career in law enforcement. Sanchez took us back to the scene where Engleton killed the three officers.

    “The most horrific night in Atascosa County history happened right here,” Sanchez said.

    Sanchez said his partner Louis Tudyk had been called to the scene right before him, and he was speeding down the road, wondering what he was driving into.

    “Something just did not seem right,” said Sanchez. “I just knew I was driving to something bad.”

    When Sanchez arrived, he was driving right into the gunfire.

    “There's dust flying where bullets are hitting the ground,” remembers Sanchez.

    Tudyk and retired Border Patrol Agent Carl Fisher had been shot and wounded, but Sanchez said no one knew where the shooter was hiding.

    Atascosa Sheriff David Soward was a deputy chief at the time, and remembers arriving to the scene when Engleton was still shooting.

    “He stood up and fired multiple rounds from a semi-automatic rifle in our direction,” said Soward. “We could hear the bullets whizzing by.”

    Soward said that, by this time, multiple law enforcement agencies had responded, but Engleton was still hiding in the brush, firing at officers.

    “It was a very difficult time because we knew there was two deputies and a trooper up there and we couldn't get to them because the guy had been in the brush adjacent to the roadway,” said Soward.

    Finally, the San Antonio Police chopper arrived and was able to find Engleton hiding in the brush.

    The last shot that night was from Engleton, turning the gun on himself.

    Once the dust cleared, close to a hundred officers discovered the tragedy left behind.

    “We were able to quickly get the guys out, but it was it was too late. They were all were all shot multiple times and were gone,” said Soward.

    Monse, Stephenson and Miller were all killed in the planned attack.

    “The two deputies got there about a minute-and-a-half apart. They were both shot and killed when they got out of their car, and the second one not knowing that what had happened to the first one,” said Soward. “Trooper Miller got there and he pulls up and sees him lying on the ground, tries to back out, radios, 'Officers down,' and he can't even get back out of there, but maybe 75 yards and he gets shot, ambushed—coldblooded ambush.”

    Tudyk and Fisher both survived.

    Investigators found that Engleton planned the attack after he was arrested the night before by Monse.

    His roommate, Kenneth Vodochodsky, was arrested and charged with helping Engleton plan the attack.

    Vodochodsky later received a death sentence for killing a peace officer.

    Monse’s wife, Mary Alice Monse, remembers the shock of that tragic night.

    Her family had gotten her a police scanner, because she said she loved listening to her husband’s voice while he was on duty at night.

    “Thomas’ number was 636 and they're calling him and he's not responding, and then I hear them calling Mark's number of 633, and he is not responding,” said Monse.

    She rushed to the \sheriff’s office where devastating news was waiting for her.

    “We're driving home and I'm telling my mom, I'm like, 'Mom, what do I do?’ You know, because here I'm like, ‘Why do I say?'" said Monse. “How do I walk into this house and tell my kids that their dad is gone?”

    Thomas Monse had four children; nine children in total lost their fathers that night.

    “I had a beautiful life. I loved my husband so much, then this person that I didn't even know crashed into my world," Monse said. "I said it destroyed it and destroyed my children."

    In the days following the deadly ambush, neighbors rallied around the officers’ families as they had to bury the three fallen heroes.

    “People have said that when you're that sad, you want the whole world to cry with you,” said Monse. “We were that sad and our whole community cried with us.”

    A tight-knit community, helping each other heal.

    “It could have easily been any of us,” said Soward. “Everybody else was fortunate to go home to their families that night. Those three guys weren't.”

    “They'll always be with us,” he added.

    Monse said she still grieves over the loss of her husband.

    “He was my world,” said Monse. “When that happened and it took him totally out of my life, I didn't think I could breathe because he was everything to me.”

    Three officers, loved by so many, made the ultimate sacrifice.

    “It had a huge effect in it to this day, it still has an effect,” said Soward.

    The fallen officers leaving behind a community that will never let their memory fade away.

    “Those three guys, they were heroes,” said Sanchez.

    “It's a calling on their life that they can't say no to,” said Monse.

    The Monse family created a scholarship for senior band students at Jourdanton High School in memory of Thomas.

    Monse said Thomas would escort the band to events, and he enjoyed spending time with the students.

    “He loved what he did and he loved being an officer,” said Monse.

    A 20th anniversary memorial service is scheduled Saturday in honor of the fallen officers.

    The memorial starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office.

    https://www.kens5.com/article/news/c...c-b2d53f568426
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #3
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    Cop-killer accomplice in 1999 Atascosa Ambush denied parole

    By SBG San Antonio Staff Reports

    A convicted cop killer accomplice received the news that he'll be staying behind bars for the foreseeable future.

    Kenneth Vodochodsky, who was once on death row for ambushing and killing three law enforcement officers in Atascosa County, was denied parole on Wednesday.

    Sheriff David Soward posted on Facebook how pleased he was for the over 2,000 letters of protest to Vodochodsky's parole were successful.

    "On behalf of the families of Deputy Sheriffs Thomas Monse and Mark Stephenson and Trooper Terry Miller, we thank everyone for their support, efforts, and prayers," he said in his social media post.

    Sheriff's deputies Thomas Monse and Mark Stephenson and DPS Trooper Terry Miller were killed in October of 1999. Investigators said Vodochodsky played a role in luring the officers to their deaths.

    Investigators said Vodochodsky helped the shooter, who was his friend and roommate buy the ammunition. They say Vodochodsky was aware something bad was going to happen but he did nothing.

    Vodochodsky's roommate, Jeremiah Engleton, who was the gunman in the ambush, killed himself. After his capital murder conviction was overturned, Vodochodsky pleaded guilty for his role in the murders and was also denied parole in 2015.

    https://news4sanantonio.com/news/loc...-denied-parole
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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