Williamson County (Texas) Sheriff Robert Chody, who gained a measure of celebrity as a law enforcement officer in the Dan Abrams-hosted television series “Live PD,” has been charged with tampering with evidence in the death of a Black man by his deputies, NBC News reports.
Chody is accused of destroying or concealing audio and video evidence relating to the death of 40-year-old Javier Ambler in March 2019. Ambler was pursued and subdued by deputies who accused Ambler of failing to dim his high beams to oncoming traffic.
Ambler was chased by police into Austin where he was restrained and tased three times. Ambler complained to deputies that he couldn’t breathe and informed them that he had a heart condition during the arrest. He died of heart failure while in custody.
An autopsy determined that he died of congestive heart failure and hypertensive cardiovascular disease associated with morbid obesity, in combination with forcible restraint.
Chody and Former Williamson County general counsel Jason Nassour are charged with felonies after destroying recordings of the arrest taken by the “Live PD” crew. The recordings were sought by investigators who believed the video of the incident would give a clearer picture of what happened than the deputies’ body cams.