Chairman of Medina County GOP steps down amid questions about past financial missteps
Brian Kanke has faced criminal charges, including theft and fraud in Texas and Louisiana, has filed for bankruptcy five times and is accused of failing to repay loans he received for a Houston-area fishing business, public records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Year after year, most Texas police departments report zero hate crimes. Hereโs why.
A Texas Tribune analysis of hate crime data found that 82% of Texas law enforcement agencies that report to the FBI tracked no hate crimes last year. However, one suburban North Texas police agency is creating a new model of collecting hate crime data.
Austin announces stricter coronavirus protocols for unvaccinated residents as cases increase. But it canโt legally enforce them.
The cityโs return to Stage 3 risk-based guidelines marks the first time a major Texas city has reversed direction in the trend toward normalcy. But others are also reporting surges in cases.
2 ex-Texas sheriff deputies indicted in Black manโs death
Camden, a former Williamson County Sheriff's Deputy, has been indicted on manslaughter charges in the March 2019 death of a 40-year-old Black man named Javier Ambler. The announcement Tuesday, March 30, 2021, comes two years after Ambler's death was filmed by the police reality TV series "Live PD." They were booked into a Travis County jail on Tuesday and released on $150,000 bond each within an hour, according to a spokeswoman for the Travis County Sheriff's Office. โWe are very pleased to see that the Travis County District Attorney is serious about seeking justice for our family. Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody was also indicted last year on charges of destroying or concealing video in an investigation into Ambler's death.
One Texas health district received 900 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Then, it closed for Christmas.
Texas front-line health care workers are the first to receive doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas TribuneThe Williamson County and Cities Health District on Wednesday received 900 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, then closed its offices for Christmas. But the move drew a sharp rebuke from local leaders, who felt that health officials shirked their duties by failing to promptly administer doses of the vaccine. Gravell said he urged the health district to promptly administer the vaccine to those eligible, including front-line health care workers and first responders. Texas health officials reserved the first doses of the vaccine for front-line health care workers and long-term care residents and staff.
Williamson County sheriff charged with felony evidence tampering in Javier Ambler case
Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody Credit: via TwitterA grand jury has indicted Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody on a felony evidence tampering charge in the case of Javier Ambler, a Black man who died in 2019 after being Tased multiple times by deputies. Jason Nassour, a county attorney was also indicted on the same charge. Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick and Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore said in June theyโd open a joint investigation into the circumstances leading up to Amblerโs death. Ambler died after a 22-minute police chase that started after he failed to dim his headlights. Michael Ramos, a Black and Latino man, died in April after being shot by an Austin police officer.
Texas sheriff indicted after probe into Black man's death
Williamson County records show Sheriff Robert Chody is facing the third-degree felony charge that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In June, Williamson County prosecutors announced an investigation โinvolving possible tampering with evidence" following the 40-year-old Ambler's death in March 2019. Ambler died after Williamson County sheriffโs deputies repeatedly used stun guns on him, despite his pleas that he was sick and couldnโt breathe. Travis County prosecutors are separately investigating the use of force in Ambler's death. His booking photo posted by the jail showed Chody smiling in a suit, standing in front of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office logo.
As Texas morgues fill up, refrigerator trucks are on the way in several counties
A morgue trailer, currently not in use, at the Nueces County Medical Examiner's office in Corpus Christi on Friday. Their deaths come as counties prepare for a surge in fatalities, some by requesting trailers to expand their hospital and county morgue capacities. County medical examiner Dr. Adel Shaker has requested an extra morgue trailer, provided by FEMA to local authorities. A morgue trailer was in place at the beginning of the pandemic, but it was released early, Shaker said. In Houston, a spokeswoman at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences insisted that no extra capacity is needed at the county morgue right now.