WilCo Sheriff Touts Endorsement From Group Created By Deputies

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody on Wednesday touted an endorsement for his re-election from a law enforcement association purported to comprise a large swath of officials but was actually created by top deputies from the agency in May.

On Twitter, Chody touted an endorsement from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Association, which he wrote "... represents the largest portion of Williamson County deputies, jailers, and civilian employees within the Williamson County Sheriff's Office." He added in his post: "I'm extremely proud to have their support for re-election!"

But a previous investigation by Patch showed the entity was filed with the Office of the Texas Secretary of State earlier this year, with three of the sheriff's deputies — Mark Luera, James J. Johnson and Jeremy R. Casey — listed as directors. Of the three directors, Luera arguably has the highest profile given his previous starring role in the now-canceled reality show "Live PD" in which the Williamson County Sheriff's Office once participated.

Patch wrote in August how the emergence of the association had been perceived by Chody's detractors as a tactic to suggest an endorsement from a fully fledged law enforcement association rather than one created internally in an attempt to enhance the sheriff's re-election bid. Given a series of scandals that have emerged from the sheriff's office — including one centered on the department's "Live PD" reality show participation — Chody has failed to secure endorsements from established law enforcement agencies.

Related stories:

• Concern Swirls Over Newly Formed WilCo Sheriff's Association
• WilCo Sheriff Chody Indicted Over In-Custody Death Video
• New Details Of In-Custody WilCo Death Further Ignite Anger
• WilCo Deputies Were Rewarded For Use Of Force: Report
  
• WilCo Sheriff Chody Finds Himself Under Unwelcome Spotlight

As Patch previously reported, the deputies-headed association was formed in May. The listed address for the group is 8160 Chandler Road — the site of the sheriff's department-operated Deputy A.W. Grimes Training Center where cadets are trained.

The apparent endorsement comes just over a month before the election, and two days after Chody was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of evidence tampering related to video evidence centered on the death of Javier Ambler, who was stopped by deputies last year while "Live PD" cameras rolled. A father of two children, Ambler was stopped by deputies for failing to dim his headlights as he passed them on a road. After a 22-minute chase that ended in Travis County, Ambler was repeatedly tased as he complained of an inability to breathe before he died.

The emergence of Williamson County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Association prompted the established Williamson County Deputies Association's political action committee to issue a statement distinguishing itself from the fledgling association to avoid voter confusion.

In an earlier statement, Jeremy Jones and Jason Waldon — chairman and campaign treasurer, respectively, of the Williamson County Deputies Association PAC — also detailed past tension between the sheriff and their association over perceived efforts by Chody to engineer the Williamson County Deputies Association makeup.

"The WCDA [Williamson County Deputies Association] PAC board therefore finds it predictable, after the failed attempt by Chody to influence the outcome of the WCDA elections, that a group of Chody sycophants would simply create their own organization, with no ties to the legitimate WCDA nor the PAC. The WCDA PAC board believes that this organization was created with the sole goal of providing a political endorsement for Chody, without the substantial hurdle of a vote of the majority of employees. It is telling that the directors for this new organization — Mark Luera, JJ Johnson and Ross Casey — are individuals who have benefited greatly from Chody, are open supporters of him, and have a vested interest in keeping him in office."

Chody has not responded to Patch's requests for comment.

Chody's opponent in the race for sheriff, Mike Gleason, has received endorsements from the Texas Municipal Police Association — known by its acronym TMPA — which is the largest police union in Texas, and the Williamson County Deputies Association and its PAC, which was secured last week.