A convicted accomplice in the 1999 Atascosa County ambush that left three law-enforcement officers dead is heading back before the Texas parole board in March, and local officials are making it clear they want him to stay put. Nearly 27 years after the killings of two Atascosa County deputies and a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, county leaders are urging residents to flood the board with objections to any early release.
Sheriff Calls For Letters Opposing Parole
Atascosa County Sheriff Jake Guerra has gone public with a blunt request: write the parole board and protest the inmate’s release, which he called “an insult to the community.” As reported by Fox San Antonio, the sheriff’s office has shared step-by-step instructions and a letter template, and is asking residents to get their protests in to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles by February 20.
How The Sentence Changed After Appeals
The man convicted in connection with the ambush was initially sentenced to death. In 2005, however, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals threw out that punishment, ruling that the evidence did not support a death sentence because he was not the gunman. The opinion is part of the state’s appellate record. After the reversal, the defendant pleaded guilty and received concurrent 30-year sentences. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals opinion and later coverage lay out the legal twists that followed.
What Happened On The Night Of The Ambush
On October 12, 1999, Atascosa County Sheriff’s Deputies Thomas Monse Jr. and Mark Stephenson, along with DPS Trooper Terry Miller, responded to what turned out to be a bogus 911 call at a rural home near Pleasanton. They were met with gunfire and killed in what investigators later described as an ambush. The shooter, Jeremiah Engleton, died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to contemporary reporting from the Associated Press, which detailed the chaotic barrage and its aftermath.
Previous Campaigns And What To Expect At The March Hearing
This is not the first time the community has sought to block the inmate’s release. County officials and relatives of the fallen officers organized a similar letter-writing effort during previous parole reviews, which resulted in denials. The board will again consider public input, the inmate’s prison record, and any victim-impact statements when it meets in March.
Next Steps
The parole hearing is scheduled for March, and the board’s decision will hinge on case records, institutional history, and whatever the public sends in. County officials say they will keep collecting and forwarding protest letters right up to the decision window. Residents looking for the sheriff’s office contact details or the latest version of the letter template can find them on the county’s official website or on the sheriff’s social media channels.
