Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #JavierAmbler

EXCLUSIVE: Former Williamson County sheriff’s deputies say the agency rewarded “good” uses of force with steakhouse gift cards, and one revealed to Texas Rangers that deputies in the death of #JavierAmbler received them.

The former deputy, Chris Pisa, did not link Ambler’s case to the cards, according to audio we obtained. But he said the department expected deputies to be “Wilco Badass.” Pisa is also under investigation for a 2019 force case.

@statesman

Here is my report via @statesman in which Sheriff Robert Chody says he was not familiar with the alleged practice: google.com/amp/s/www.stat…

Read 4 tweets

EXCLUSIVE: A Williamson County grand jury is considering evidence tampering charges against Sheriff Robert Chody, crews from "Live PD" and anyone else possibly involved in the destruction of video in the death of #JavierAmbler. Multiple deputies confirm being called to testify.

Chody has hired prominent Austin defense attorney Gerry Morris to represent him. Morris had no comment. Experts say possible charges include evidence tampering and that prosecutors must prove that whoever destroyed the video knew it was needed for an investigation.

Williamson DA Shawn Dick said in a statement: "We continue to pursue justice in the matter of the death of Javier Ambler...as we look into the possible tampering with evidence by personnel from Williamson County agencies who have had contact or communication with the TV show."

NEW: Residents in a Williamson County apartment complex called 911 because of a possible domestic violence incident. When deputies arrived, they attacked the victim. The September 2019 incident, captured on video, is now under investigation by the Texas Rangers and prosecutors.

Footage shows Deputy Lorenzo Hernandez, a training officer, used force on the 20-year-old woman after she hesitated for deputies to enter her home to search for her boyfriend. The woman was handcuffed and taken to the ground, videos show, and threatened with a Taser.

"When we don't get your cooperation, that is what happens," Lorenzo told her. "All this screaming, and uh, all this s--- does not make us stop." Law enforcement and domestic violence experts say they are deeply troubled by the incident.

@statesman

NEW: During "Live PD's" Williamson County run, car chases by deputies spiked, particularly on weeks the show filmed, according to a weeks-long analysis by my @statesman colleague @JulieChang1. Two chases were deadly, including the night #JavierAmbler died.

The night of Ambler's death, deputies conducted three chases, but won't release information about the others, including which deputies were involved. The death of a Bell County deputy also involved a Williamson pursuit, but officials say "Live PD" was not filming that chase.

Sheriff Robert Chody said he has tried to change the chasing culture, but the data does not support that claim.
Here is our report: statesman.com/news/20200827/…

Read 3 tweets

NEW: In November 2017, Williamson Sheriff Robert Chody swore in his newest deputy who only three days earlier quit the Austin police force to avoid a firing. An investigation found Mark Luera used a TSA badge to sneak his family and friends past security for a flight to Cancun.

Since his hiring, Luera has been a department star on "Live PD," and Chody has called him "a true leader." Chody last year changed his promotion standards for the rank of lieutenant to fit Luera's credentials.

Luera is one of at least a dozen deputies with a tarnished badge Chody has hired in the past 3 1/2 years. Others include Deputies J.J. Johnson and Zach Camden who were involved in the March 2019 death of #JavierAmbler.

NEW: Three months after #JavierAmbler's death, the same two deputies were involved in another force encounter now under investigation. Like Ambler, the violent arrest of Ramsey Mitchell received only passing attention, was caught on Live PD cameras and the deputies were cleared.

Mitchell, a 37-year-old with a criminal history, was stopped for not having a front license plate. He bolted and deputies are seen slamming him to the ground, using their Tasers in a scuffle that continued as other officers eventually handcuffed him. "Live PD" aired it.

DA Shawn Dick will not say what about the case troubles him, but confirms he is investigating it with an outside agency. He says it is among at least 5 force encounters his office is investigating involving Williamson deputies.

BREAKING: Prosecutors have announced that the investigation into the death of #JavierAmbler has expanded and will now include possible evidence tampering charges relating to the destruction of "Live PD" video.

Here is a joint statement from Travis and Williamson DAs.

UPDATE: In response to the expanded investigation, Sheriff Chody released a lengthy response to Dick about questions Dick raised via email Thursday. "I am an independently elected official just as you and don't answer to your demands just because you are upset," he wrote.

NEW: Fifteen months after the death of #JavierAmbler, two deputies involved in his death have not given written statements to internal affairs investigators, as supervisors praised them as recently as Thursday for their “professionalism” that night.

Officials say that they are awaiting closure of an Austin police/Travis DA investigation and then may take their statements as a “procedural” matter, unless a criminal case against them moves forward. They say the internal case remains open.

An attorney for the department says officials determined that no policy violation was found based an a review of dash and body camera video that night, although experts say taking statements from officers is crucial to determine their mindset at the time.