Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody was arrested Monday on charges of tampering evidence in the case of Javier Ambler, a 40-year-old Black man who died in custody last year.
The indictment accuses Chody of destroying footage that showed deputies chasing and using force against the Pflugerville resident that was captured for the reality TV show "Live PD" in March 2019. County Attorney Jason Nassour faces the same charge.
The indictment was first reported by The Austin American-Statesman.
Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick and Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore opened a joint investigation in June after details of Ambler’s death were revealed by The Statesman and KVUE.
Deputies J.J. Johnson and Zach Camden chased Ambler for 22 minutes for allegedly failing to dim his headlights to oncoming traffic. When they caught Ambler, they used tasers on him four times, though he protested that he had a heart condition and could not breathe. He died shortly after.
Chody is up for re-election in the Nov. 3 election against Democratic challenger Mike Gleason.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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