ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas – He wasn’t even sheriff yet, but Oct. 12, 1999, stands out in Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward’s memory.
The ambush on law enforcement was a dark day in Atascosa County’s history.
Atascosa County deputies Thomas Monse and Mark Stephenson, and DPS trooper Terry Miller were murdered when they responded to a bogus 911 call at suspect Jeremiah Engleton’s home. Engleton ended up killing himself during a standoff with dozens of officers, but his accomplice was arrested after a manhunt.
That day, then-chief deputy sheriff Soward lost friends forever. Funerals, an arrest and a trial followed.
Soward has been with Atascosa County for 48 years. He will walk away at the end of the month.
His memories are not all tragic. In this edition of Spriester Sessions, he talked about the people he’ll miss, the biggest challenges the county faces, and how he wants to be remembered.
Watch the one-on-one with Sheriff David Soward in the video player above.