Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody, who is under criminal indictment, has filed a campaign finance report that shows he is planning to run for sheriff again in 2024.
Chody could not be reached for comment. His wife, Beverly Chody, who is listed as his treasurer on the report, did not respond to a request for comment.
Chody lost his 2020 reelection bid in November to Michael Gleason. On Wednesday, he dropped a lawsuit against Gleason that claimed last year’s election was fraudulent.
READ:Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody drops election fraud suit against current sheriff
Chody filed a campaign finance report July 9 in Williamson County. He wrote on it that he was running for sheriff in the March 5, 2024, Republican primary.Chody cannot officially file as a candidate until about four months before the election, said Williamson County Elections Administrator Chris Davis.
Chody already has spent $569.34 that he loaned to himself on his campaign, according to the report. It said some of the money paid for campaign bookkeeping services and food from Taco Cabana. It also said he received no campaign contributions between Jan. 1 and June 30.
Chody was indicted in Travis County on an evidence tampering charge in the Javier Ambler II case.He was previously indicted on the same charge in Williamson County, but a judge dismissed it June 3, which is common when a defendant faces similar charges in two jurisdictions.
More:Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody to face Travis County jury in evidence trial
The charge involves the destruction of reality TV show footage that showed deputies chasing and using force on Ambler, a Black man who died in custody in 2019.
Chody has denied the charge — a third-degree felony, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 — and accused prosecutors of colluding in a politically fueled conspiracy to falsely prosecute him.
Williamson County faces 14 pending legal claims from Chody’s four years in office from 2016 to 2020.
Several of them center on allegations of excessive force and questionable tactics from the department’s starring role in the now-defunct reality TV show “Live PD.”
