UNAIRED
UNAIRED FOOTAGE FROM 'LIVE PD.'"
A
A FIGHT
A FIGHT BETWEEN THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY D-A AND FORMER SHERIFF ROBERT CHODY --
PLAYED OUT IN
EMAILS RECENTLY OBTAINED BY THE
KVUE
DEFENDERS.
KVUE DEFENDERS. THEY CENTERED ON THE D-A'S
EFFORT TO GET RAW, UNEDITED
VIDEO FROM A REALITY SHOW.
PAGES OF MESSAGES BETWEEN THEM
HIGHLIGHT THEIR FRICTION -- IN THE MONTHS BEFORE
CHODY'S
INDICTMENT LAST FALL ON EVIDENCE
TAMPERING
CHARGES IN THE DEATH OF JAVIER
AMBLER.
THE KVUE DEFENDERS HAVE BEEN
FOLLOWING THIS
CASE- FOR MONTHS.
HERE'S SENIOR REPORTER TONY
PLOHETSKI.
PLOHETSKI. BEFORE THE SHOW "LIVE PD" BEGAN
SHOWCASING DEPUTIES, WILLIAMSON COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
RAISED AN ISSUE THAT IS NOW A
BACKDROP TO EVIDENCE
TAMPERING CASES AGAINST FORMER
SHERIFF
ROBERT CHODY AND THE COUNTY'S
GENERAL
COUNSEL, JASON NASSOUR. "SO YOU
CANNOT HOLD WILLIAMSON COUNTY
RESPONSIBLE FOR
ANY OF THAT LIVE FOOTAGE?"
"I DON'T BELIEVE SO."
"OR ACCESSING IT?"
"NO MA'AM, I DON'T BELIEVE SO."
BUT THE INABILITY FOR
PROSECUTORS TO GET RAW
FOOTAGE FROM THE SHOW TOOK
CENTER STAGE IN THE MONTHS
AFTER "LIVE PD" BEGAN
BROADCASTING THE ARRESTS OF
WILLIAMSON COUNTY SUSPECTS.
EMAILS OBTAINED BY THE KVUE
DEFENDERS
SHOW DISTRICT ATTORNEY SHAWN
DICK WROTE CHODY
IN JUNE 2019 ABOUT NEEDING TO
GET "LIVE PD" VIDEO: "I
BELIEVE MY REQUESTS ARE CLEAR,
REASONABLE
AND HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY
PRESENTED TO YOU AND YOUR
DEPARTMENT OVER THE COURSE OF
'LIVE PD.'"
CHODY REPLIED: "I'M SURE WE CAN
COME UP WITH A
SOLUTION. DO YOU WANT ME TO HOLD
THE VIDEO OR SEND
IT TO YOU?"
THEN NASSOUR WEIGHED IN: "SHAWN
HAS ATTEMPTED TO
AND INCORRECTLY PLACED A
RESPONSIBILITY
ON WCSO...I DO NOT BELIEVE WCSO
IS VIOLATING ANY
LAWS."
DICK, THEN IN HIS FIRST TERM,
HAD REASON TO BE ESPECIALLY
CAREFUL ABOUT GETTING EVERY
PIECE OF EVIDENCE IN A
CRIMINAL CASE.
A GENERATION OF EARLIER
PROSECUTORS DID NOT
DISCLOSE EVIDENCE POINTING TO
THE
EXONERATION OF MICHAEL MORTON,
LEADING TO
MORTON'S WRONGFUL CONVICTION IN
HIS WIFE'S
MURDER AND PROMPTING STATE
LAWMAKERS TO
MAKE SUCH DISCLOSURES STATE LAW.
HE WAS
EXONERATED IN 2013.
AS THE EMAIL EXCHANGES CONTINUED
BETWEEN DICK
AND CHODY, THE DEATH OF JAVIER
AMBLER LOOMED IN THE
BACKGROUND, WITH DICK LATER
SAYING HE DIDN'T KNOW
ABOUT AMBLER'S DEATH AT THE
TIME. ANOTHER YEAR PASSED BEFORE
DICK AND THE PUBLIC LEARNED
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE
40-YEAR-OLD BLACK
FATHER. THAT'S WHEN THE KVUE
DEFENDERS FIRST REVEALED
DETAILS OF AMBLER'S DEATH IN
MARCH 2019 -- AND THAT "LIVE
PD" DESTROYED ITS VIDEO OF
DEPUTIES CHASING
AMBLER FOR FAILING TO DIM HIS
HEADLIGHTS, TASING HIM AS
HE SHOUTED THAT HE COULDN'T
BREATHE.
"PLEASE..."
BREATHE. "PLEASE..." "PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR
BACK.:
"DO WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO
DO!"
"ROLL OVER!"
DICK OPENED AN INVESTIGATION
INTO WHY THE
SHOW ERASED THE VIDEO,
CULMINATING IN EVIDENCE
TAMPERING INDICTMENTS AGAINST
CHODY AND NASSOUR.
THEIR ATTORNEYS SAY THEY
COMMITTED NO
CRIME.
THE EMAIL EXCHANGES CONTINUED
BETWEEN DICK
AND CHODY IN THE SUMMER OF 2019,
AND INTENSIFIED IN
THE SPRING OF 2020 WHEN CHODY,
AGAINST THE WISHES OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS , BROUGHT
THE SHOW BACK
AFTER COMMISSIONERS ENDED AN
AGREEMENT
WITH PRODUCERS.
DICK COMPLAINED TO CHODY THAT
HIS NEW
AGREEMENT WITH "LIVE PD" AND ITS
PRODUCTION
COMPANY BIG FISH ENTERTAINMENT
"STILL DOES NOT
ADDRESS OUR BASIC NEEDS."
THROUGHOUT 2019 AND 2020, DICK
SAYS HE TRIED FOR
MONTHS TO GET THE VIDEOS IN
ROUTINE CASES.
IN EMAILS AT THE TIME AND IN A
RECENT INTERVIEW, DICK
SAYS WILLIAMSON COUNTY
PROSECUTORS
NEVER GOT A SINGLE RAW "LIVE PD"
VIDEO.
"ONCE WE FOUND THE RIGHT
ADDRESS, WE STILL GOT NO
RESPONSE
FROM BIG FISH ENTERTAINMENT AND
WHEN WE DID GET A RESPONSE,
IT WAS BASICALLY, 'WE DON'T HAVE
TO COMPLY WITH YOUR SUBPOENAS.'"
"THEY COULD DESTROY IT BEFORE WE
COULD EVER GET A
SUBPOENA TO NEW YORK."
DICK THEN BEGAN DROPPING CASES
AND
INTERCEPTING OTHERS BEFORE THEY
COULD BE FILED,
REPEATING IN AN APRIL 2020 EMAIL
TO CHODY, "IF YOU WANT US TO
PROSECUTE YOUR CASES, YOU WILL
NEED TO MAKE SURE
THAT ON 'LIVE PD' CASES THAT .
THE UNEDITED,
UNAIRED FOOTAGE WILL BE
SUBMITTED WITH YOUR
CRIMINAL FILES TO OUR OFFICE."
DICK SAYS PROSECUTORS
ULTIMATELY DROPPED OR DECLINED
DOZENS OF
CASES BECAUSE OF AN INABILITY TO
GET "LIVE PD" FOOTAGE --
MANY LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN
FULLY PROSECUTED.
"IT ALWAYS CAUSES YOU CONCERN,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU BELIEVE YOU
ARRESTED THE RIGHT PERSON AND
YOU HAVE A CASE THAT COULD BE
PROVEN."
GEORGETOWN ATTORNEY LYTZA ROJAS
REPRESENTED A
21-YEAR-OLD MAN ARRESTED ON
"LIVE PD" ON DRUG
POSSESSION CHARGES. IT'S ONE OF
THE CASES DICK
DISMISSED.
"DUE TO THE MICHAEL MORTON ACT,
AND JUST FUNDAMENTAL
FAIRNESS IN PROCEEDINGS, WE HAVE
TO HAVE EVERYTHING."
LIVE PD" HAS BEEN OFF THE AIR
SINCE JUNE -- CANCELED
TWO DAYS AFTER OUR REPORT ON
AMBLER'S
DEATH.
AMBLER'S DEATH. BUT TEXAS LAWMAKERS ARE NOW
CONSIDERING A
BILL THAT WOULD BAN REALITY TV
FROM
PARTNERING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
"CHODY, NASSOUR AND OTHERS ALSO
FACE POSSIBLE CHARGES IN TRAVIS
COUNTY FOR ACTIONS THEY TOOK THE
NIGHT OF AMBLER'S
CONCENING THE LIVE PD VIDEO.
THAT SAME TRAVIS COUNTY GRAND
JURY IS ALSO WEIGHTING POSSIBLE
EXCESSIVE FORCE
CHARGES AGAINST THE TWO DEPUTIES
INVOLVED.
IN A NEW STATEMENT TODAY, BIG
FISH ENTERTAINMENT-
THE COMPANY THAT MAKES LIVE PD-
SAID THAT IT HAS AT TIMES
PROVIDED
UNAIRED OUTTAKES WHEN SUCH
REQUESTS WERE MADE IN A TIMELY
MANNER.
FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS, TONY
PLOHETSKI, KVUE NEWS."
FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS, TONY
PLOHETSKI, KVUE NEWS."