WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — Four years after bringing the charges – and as a trial date nears – prosecutors are describing steps they say a former Williamson County sheriff and another county official took to destroy video in the death of Javier Ambler.
A joint prosecution team from Williamson and Travis counties issued new indictments this week against Robert Chody and assistant county attorney Jason Nassour.
These new indictments allege no additional crimes against the pair, who face an August trial on evidence tampering charges. But the documents mark the first time that prosecutors have more fully described their theory of this case – one hat has wound through the courts and seen legal setbacks for the state.
Prosecutors allege what happened before and during a Williamson County Commissioners Court meeting in June 2019 is central to the evidence tampering cases.
According to newly filed expanded indictments against the two, Chody and Nassour conspired to draft a contract with a reality TV show called “Live PD” that included a provision that video producers collected from ride-alongs with Williamson County deputies be destroyed in 30 days.
The indictments allege that the contract was “backdated” to include the period before the death of Javier Ambler about five weeks earlier, leading to the elimination of the footage.
Ambler’s final moments were captured on separate police body camera footage. He died in March 2019 after deputies launched a pursuit after he failed to dim his headlights, then used Tasers on him. A jury acquitted the deputies on manslaughter charges this spring.
One or two days after the commissioners court contract approval, the indictments allege that – “with knowledge of the mandatory destruction provision” – the pair got in touch with “Live PD” to inform them that the internal affairs investigation in the case was over and never asked them to preserve the video.
The indictments also allege that Chody and Nassour took steps the night of Ambler’s death that put in motion the destruction of the video, including letting the “Live PD” crew leave the scene without questioning them and – later – withholding names and contact information from the production company that could have provided information about the footage.
Attorney Gerry Morris, who represents Chody, did not return calls seeking comment. Joe Turner, who represents Nassour, said, “The trial is set for August. I hope the government is ready.”
A judge in the case has previously ruled that authorities would have violated federal law had they seized the video at the scene that night – that they would have needed to go through the process of getting a court order, which prosecutors say they later attempted to do.
The judge’s decision was viewed as potentially gutting the prosecution’s case, but these newly filed indictments indicate they are pushing forward.
Chody was ousted from office in an election about two months after the indictments. Nassour remains an employee of the Williamson County Attorney’s Office.