Williamson County Settlement: Live PD Raid, Ambler Death, Charges

Williamson County, Texas, has paid out more than $10 million to settle lawsuits connected to its sheriff’s office partnership with the A&E reality show Live PD, and the related Williamson County Live PD settlement payments span a wrongful death, a staged SWAT raid, inmate deaths, and multiple excessive-force cases. The payouts, along with felony indictments against the former sheriff and a new state law banning police-reality TV contracts, trace back to a 2018 filming agreement that reshaped how deputies did their jobs.

What Williamson County Has Paid

The county’s financial exposure from the Chody-era sheriff’s office breaks down into several major settlements.

The largest is the $5 million settlement with the family of Javier Ambler II, who died in March 2019 after Williamson County deputies tased him four times at the end of a 22-minute pursuit filmed by a Live PD crew. The county resolved the wrongful death case in December 2021, paying $1.6 million directly while insurance covered the rest. It was the largest settlement in county history at the time.¹

Next is the $2.5 million settlement with Gary Watsky, approved by the Williamson County Commissioners Court on October 15, 2024 by a 4-1 vote. The suit accused deputies of staging a militarized SWAT raid on Watsky’s Cedar Park home specifically to generate dramatic footage for the show.² The county described the payout as part of an effort to finalize remaining litigation from former Sheriff Robert Chody’s administration.³

The county has also paid roughly $3.35 million to resolve three federal lawsuits over inmate deaths at the Williamson County Jail: $1.6 million in the 2018 death of Daniel McCoy, a mentally ill 24-year-old allegedly denied medical help; $500,000 in the 2019 death of Patrick Dupre, who was on suicide watch when he was given a bed sheet he used to attempt suicide; and $1.25 million, approved in July 2024, in the death of Joshua McNatt, who was known to be suicidal and suffering from paranoid schizophrenia but was allegedly denied medications and placed in a cell with “tie-off points.”⁴

On top of those, more than $845,000 in additional deputy-misconduct settlements: $525,000 across use-of-force incidents in 2019, $120,000 in an excessive-force case involving former deputy Christopher Pisa, and $200,000 in a case where a deputy allegedly assaulted a domestic violence victim.⁵

As of October 2024, additional Live PD-related litigation remained pending in county records.⁶

The Staged Raid Behind the $2.5 Million Payout

On May 2, 2019, a Williamson County SWAT team executed a no-knock raid on Gary Watsky’s Cedar Park home to arrest his son, Asher Watsky, on an assault charge from a fight with his roommate. Deputies detonated a flash-bang grenade, breached both the front and back doors, and swarmed the house with assault rifles. Gary Watsky was held at gunpoint and searched. When he was brought outside, he saw a Live PD camera crew filming the whole operation.⁷

According to the complaint, Asher Watsky had voluntarily appeared at a courthouse hearing on a related matter just hours earlier that same day, and sheriff’s officials had removed an outstanding warrant from a law enforcement database to prevent a peaceful courthouse arrest, instead orchestrating what the suit called a militarized SWAT operation for television cameras. Deputies ransacked the home, including the attic, without a search warrant, causing more than $5,000 in property damage.⁸

Watsky filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, case number 1:21-cv-00374. The complaint named Williamson County, former Sheriff Chody, Lieutenant Mark Luera, Commander Stephen Deaton, and unnamed deputies, bringing claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for excessive force, warrantless entry and search, and civil conspiracy, along with a Monell claim that the county itself maintained a policy of escalating encounters to produce entertaining television.⁹

The suit also alleged that Chody ran an unofficial reward system called “WilCo Bada–” that handed out steakhouse gift cards and other perks to deputies who generated dramatic moments on camera, characterizing deputies as viewing themselves as “aspiring celebrities” whose desire for fame drove them to heighten the drama of police operations.⁸

How the Filming Deal Produced the Lawsuits

In 2018, Chody signed a contract with production company Big Fish Entertainment allowing Live PD crews to ride along with deputies, follow arrests and pursuits, and use county facilities, vehicles, and property for filming. The agreement included a local control room where the sheriff’s office could review material as it was shot.¹⁰

One contractual clause did more damage than any other: producers were required to destroy raw footage within 30 days of filming unless a court order or legal requirement demanded its preservation. District Attorney Shawn Dick warned early on that the clause was undermining criminal investigations and potentially destroying evidence that could prove suspects’ innocence. His office ultimately declined to prosecute at least eight felony cases tied to Live PD filming because of evidence-preservation problems.¹⁰

Interviews with deputies and residents indicated the cameras encouraged dangerous high-speed pursuits, influenced when and how arrests were timed, and distracted from standard law enforcement practices.¹⁰ In one federal lawsuit, a county employee was quoted posting on social media: “Glad we could make some good TV for the boss man” and “Gonna try to get some stuff stirred up for y’all tonight.”¹¹

County commissioners voted unanimously in August 2019 to terminate the Big Fish contract. Chody signed a new 364-day agreement in March 2020 anyway, without commissioners’ approval, prompting a cease-and-desist order and then a May 2020 lawsuit from the commissioners themselves seeking to block him from contracting with television production companies.¹²

Javier Ambler’s Death and the Destroyed Footage

On March 28, 2019, deputies J.J. Johnson and Zach Camden pursued Javier Ambler for 22 minutes after a traffic stop. A Live PD crew rode along with Camden. Ambler was tased four times and told officers multiple times that he had a heart condition before dying at the scene.¹

The footage of Ambler’s death never aired. Prosecutors alleged the Williamson County contract included a 30-day destruction provision reportedly unique to that agreement compared with Big Fish’s other law enforcement contracts. The video was kept for about three months until June 2019, when Chody allegedly told the show’s attorneys the internal investigation was complete. The footage was then wiped.¹

KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman broke the story in June 2020, in the middle of a national reckoning over police misconduct following the murder of George Floyd. A&E canceled Live PD on June 10, 2020.¹²

Criminal Charges Against the Former Sheriff and Deputies

In September 2020, a Williamson County grand jury indicted Chody on a third-degree felony charge of tampering with physical evidence for his role in destroying the Ambler footage. Former assistant county attorney Jason Nassour was indicted on the same charge. A Travis County grand jury added a second indictment against both men in April 2021. The charges carry a possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Chody was arrested and released on $15,000 bail.¹³¹⁴

Deputies Johnson and Camden were separately charged with manslaughter in Ambler’s death. A Travis County jury found both deputies not guilty in March 2024.¹

The evidence-tampering trial for Chody and Nassour began in August 2024 but was suspended after prosecutors appealed a pre-trial ruling about the seizure of journalist materials. In August 2025, a state appeals court dismissed that appeal for lack of jurisdiction. As of late August 2025, neither Chody nor Nassour had been convicted or acquitted, and it remained unclear when the trial would resume.¹⁵

Chody ran for reelection in November 2020 while under indictment and lost to Mike Gleason, a retired assistant chief deputy who became the first Democrat to serve as Williamson County sheriff since the 1980s.¹⁶

Javier Ambler’s Law

On May 27, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 54, officially titled “Javier Ambler’s Law.” Authored by state Representative James Talarico of Round Rock, the statute prohibits Texas law enforcement agencies from authorizing anyone to accompany and film peace officers in the line of duty for the purpose of producing reality television programs. It explicitly excludes journalistic reporting on matters of public concern.¹⁷ The bill passed the Texas House 110-34 and the Senate 27-3, and took effect immediately.¹⁸ Supporters cited evidence that violent encounters between Williamson County deputies and civilians nearly doubled after Live PD began filming.

1
Austin American-Statesman. Ex-Williamson County Sheriff Trial Destroyed LivePD Video Javier Ambler Robert Chody Jason Nassour
2
KXAN. $2.5M Settlement Reached Over Staged Williamson County SWAT Raid for Live PD
3
Austin American-Statesman. Cedar Park Texas Asher Watsky Lawsuit Settlement Staged Live PD TV Show Arrest
4
AOL/Austin American-Statesman. Williamson County Approves $1.25M Settlement
5
Austin American-Statesman. Williamson County Excessive Force Lawsuit Imani Nembhard Arrest Texas
6
FOX 7 Austin. Williamson County Live PD Settlement Gary Watsky
7
Variety. Live PD Settlement Williamson County
8
KXAN. Lawsuit: Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody, Others Staged SWAT Raid for Live PD
9
GovInfo. Gary Watsky v. Williamson County, Texas, et al., 1:21-cv-00374-RP
10
NBC News. Live PD Was Canceled. In One Texas County, Its Twisted Legacy Endures
11
GovInfo. Scott Phillip Lewis v. Williamson County, Texas, 1:21-cv-00074
12
Community Impact. Live PD Show at the Center of Williamson County Controversy Canceled
13
KUT. Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody Indicted by Travis County Grand Jury in Javier Ambler Case
14
KXAN. Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody Arrested on New Charges From Deadly Arrest With Live PD Cameras Rolling
15
KVUE. Robert Chody Jason Nassour Live PD Case Appeals Court Dismisses State Appeal
16
Audacy/Talk 1370. Williamson County Sheriff Chody Trailing in Early Vote
17
KUT. Abbott Signs Javier Ambler’s Law Banning Contracts Between Law Enforcement and Reality TV Shows
18
Texas Legislature. H.B. No. 54, 87th Legislature