AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- New charges have been added to indictments against former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and assistant county attorney Jason Nassour in connection to the in-custody death of Javier Ambler II, and the destruction of video footage from the "Live PD" reality television show.
Indictments released Tuesday by the Travis County District Attorney's office indicate both men are facing an additional charge of conspiracy to tamper with evidence, in addition to existing charges of evidence tampering.
Both men have denied the charges against them, and their attorneys have been seeking to have the cases thrown out.
Earlier this year, prosecutors in Williamson and Travis Counties agreed to combine their efforts, dismissing similar charges in Williamson County and focusing efforts on prosecuting the cases in Travis County.
Besides the indictments, prosecutors have not publicly revealed any more details about the role that either Chody or Nassour played in the destruction of footage from the night Ambler died in March 2019.
According to the new indictment, Chody and Nassour entered into an access agreement with Big Fish Entertainment, the producers of "Live PD." The indictment alleges the agreement called for Chody and Nassour “to destroy raw unaired audio and video footage” and that they “performed an overt act” the night of Ambler’s death.
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That act, the indictment says, allowed the footage to be taken away from the scene "knowing that an in-custody investigation or official proceeding was pending or in progress involving the death of Javier Ambler."
Ambler died while in the custody of Williamson County Sheriff's deputies J.J. Johnson and Zach Camden, following a 22-minute pursuit that began after Ambler failed to dim his headlights. The deputies had "Live PD" production crews with them.
The deputies followed Ambler from Williamson County into Travis County and the City of Austin, where Ambler crashed his vehicle. Johnson and Camden used their Tasers on Ambler four times, as he struggled to breathe and attempted to tell the deputies he was suffering from congestive heart failure. He died moments later.
Johnson and Camden are facing manslaughter charges in connection with their roles in Ambler's death.
"Live PD" was canceled shortly after Ambler's death and the circumstances surrounding it came to light in June 2020, after body camera footage from an Austin Police officer who responded to the scene was released.
Despite the indictment against him, Chody ran for re-election last year, ultimately losing in the Nov. 2020 election to former WCSO assistant chief deputy Mike Gleason.