
AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Just one day after two former Williamson County Sheriff's deputies were charged with manslaughter by a Travis County grand jury, the county's former general counsel has been indicted on a charge of evidence tampering.
Jason Nassour, who formerly served as general counsel for the WilCo County Attorney's office, has been charged with evidence tampering, a third-degree felony.
Nassour and former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody were both indicted on similar charges by a Williamson County grand jury last September.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza said Wednesday that the Travis County grand jury also heard evidence relating to Chody, but that Texas law prohibits disclosure of an indictment "until a capias for the person charged is executed" - meaning until the defendant is taken into custody.
"Mr. Nassour was indicted today by a Travis County Grand Jury who found probable cause to believe that, knowing that an investigation was pending or in progress, Nassour tampered with physical evidence with the intent to impair its availability as evidence in the investigation," Garza said.
The charges are all related to the March 2019 death of Javier Ambler II, who died while in the custody of Williamson County Sheriff's deputies - J.J. Johnson and Zach Camden. The pursuit began in Williamson County after Ambler failed to dim his bright headlights and refused to stop, leading Johnson and Camden on a 22-minute chase into Travis County and inside the Austin city limits, prompting the involvement of Austin Police. Body camera video from APD released last summer shows Johnson and Camden trying to handcuff Ambler as he lay on the ground next to his vehicle.
A camera crew for the reality television show "Live PD" was present at the scene as well. Producers for the now-canceled series have filed a lawsuit against Williamson County and the Austin Police Department, claiming footage was "illegally seized" at the scene before being returned.
Johnson and Camden have both been charged with manslaughter in the case. A statement from their attorneys says neither man was "morally nor legally responsible" for Ambler's death, citing Ambler's health conditions as the true cause of death.
“I know that these indictments will not bring peace to the Ambler family. No parent should have to bury their child,” Garza said. “But we remain committed to seeing this through on behalf of not just Javier Ambler, but also our community.”