Williamson County agrees to $2.5M settlement in Live PD case

WilCo agrees to settlement in Live PD case

Williamson County has agreed to pay $2.5 million to a Cedar Park man who says the sheriff's office staged his son's arrest for reality TV in 2020.

CEDAR PARK, Texas - Williamson County has agreed to pay $2.5 million to a Cedar Park resident who claims the sheriff’s office staged his son's arrest for the now-canceled reality TV show Live PD.

"No amount of money will ever repair, I believe, the injustice that occurred here," said Brad Vinson, representing the plaintiff Gary Watsky. "The civil wrong that occurred here at the hands of Robert Chody and his connections with Live PD, but my client is satisfied at this point."

In 2020, Gary Watsky’s son, Asher Watsky, was at the Williamson County Courthouse for a hearing on a separate case; however, Asher had additional assault charges.

Vinson believes he should have been arrested on the spot for it when he showed up to court that day.

"We talked to witnesses who were a part of the court staff, and they were able to say that the warrant wasn’t in the system," said Vinson. "It was removed from their view, meaning that it was active at some point before, and then it was no longer active."

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The arrest came a few hours later at Asher and Gary's Cedar Park home.

"He’s sitting in his house when two military-style vehicles roll down the street," said Vinson. "Men with assault rifles, flak vests, flash bangs, break down the front door and back door, and they start clearing the house as if there is a terrorist," said Vinson.

As the sheriff’s office arrested Asher, Live PD was filming.

"Sheriff Chody orchestrated an arrest for the purpose of Live PD," said Vinson.

Vinson believes someone purposefully hid the arrest warrant when Asher was in court, so Live PD could tape the arrest later on.

"My client was injured and suffered psychological damage, PTSD from this for years," said Vinson. "He still suffers from it now."

Williamson County, Javier Ambler's family reach $5M settlement

Commissioners have agreed to give Ambler‘s family $5 million, with $1.6 million of it paid directly by the county with the remainder coming from the county’s insurance.

It’s not the first time the sheriff’s office has been in hot water with Live PD.

In 2019, Javier Ambler died after a police chase and then arrest. All of it was recorded on Live PD, but those videos were erased.

This August, former Sheriff Robert Chody faced criminal charges for the missing videos, but a judge paused the trial, ruling against prosecutors’ argument due to federal privacy law.

The county also reached a $5 million settlement for the wrongful death lawsuit of Ambler.

"Anytime you see a settlement like this on a case, I think it sends a message that no one is above the law, including the law itself, right?" said Vinson. "It sends a message that we all need to be held accountable for our actions, and that’s what happened with this settlement."

The county and former sheriff Robert Chody declined to comment for this story.

The county still has one other pending litigation regarding Live PD.

Williamson County Crime and Public Safety