A case against a former Williamson County elected official and assistant county attorney was dismissed by prosecutors in July.
In a nutshell
A criminal case alleging former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and former Assistant Williamson County Attorney Jason Nassour tampered with evidence related to the death of Javier Ambler was dismissed by prosecutors July 1, a news release from the office of Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza states.
The case was dismissed due to a previous judgment preventing evidence against Chody and Nassour from being presented. Per the release, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declined to review a lower court's decision that the evidence was inadmissible, leaving the state unable to present evidence of guilt.
What they're saying
In the news release, Garza expressed sympathy for the Ambler family, as well as disappointment in the appeals court's decision.
“Our hearts continue to break for the Ambler family, who had to wait many years for any type of resolution in their son’s case,” Travis County District Attorney José Garza said in a news release. “Although we are disappointed that the Travis County District Attorney’s Office has been prevented from presenting evidence of guilt against Mr. Chody and Mr. Nassour to a Travis County jury, we respect the decision of the Courts. We are grateful to our partners at the Williamson County District Attorney’s office and law enforcement for their work and support in this case.”
How we got here
In September 2020, Chody and Nassour were indicted on a third-degree felony charge of evidence tampering related to the March 2019 death of Javier Ambler, as previously reported by Community Impact. The charges stemmed from a report that video evidence of the incident was destroyed.
