Under the former sheriff's watch, the office has been criticized for its contract with the reality show "Live PD" and the death of a 40-year-old Black man in custody.
Williamson County commissioners approved the hiring of Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP to represent the county and its employees in former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody s lawsuit contesting November election results Jan. 12.
The lawsuit, filed Dec. 15, is against current Williamson County Sheriff Mike Gleason, who defeated Chody in the November election 56.06% to 43.94%.
It alleges through two sworn affidavits that “mistakes, illegalities, and/or fraud” occurred during the election. County election officials have said the election results were accurate.
Gleason was sworn into office Jan. 1.
“I ll say it’s a ridiculous lawsuit,” Commissioner Valerie Covey said. “It is ridiculous waste of tax dollars, and I m very frustrated and disappointed that [it] has to be on our agenda.”
Nearly 20 employees of the Williamson County sheriff’s office, including two deputies involved in the death of Javier Ambler II, have resigned or been fired as newly elected Sheriff Mike Gleason reboots a beleaguered department that has been under scrutiny for months.
Other deputies who also have departed in the past two weeks include several highlighted by the American-Statesman in an ongoing investigation into questionable force and law enforcement tactics used during the tenure of former sheriff Robert Chody.
Gleason, who took office Jan. 1 after becoming the first Democrat elected to a countywide position in nearly 30 years, said he wants to restore the department’s reputation and rebuild badly damaged community trust.
KUT
Portrait artist Devon Clarkson painted a mural of Javier Ambler at Home Slice Pizza on South Congress Avenue in October.
The Texas Legislature could vote on a bill this year that would stifle relationships between law enforcement and reality television shows. The measure House Bill 54 was filed by state Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, who calls it “Javier Ambler’s Law.”
Javier Ambler, a 40-year-old Black man, died in March 2019, after Williamson County deputies chased him for 22 minutes for failing to dim his headlights to oncoming traffic. When they caught him, they tasered him, though he said he had a heart condition and couldn t breathe. Ambler died shortly after. The incident was captured on film for the reality television show “Live PD,” which had a contract with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.