Former WilCo Sheriff Deputy Faces Assault, Oppression Charges

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Another former Williamson County Sheriff's deputy, who was once featured on the reality show "Live PD," has been arrested and faces charges of assault and official oppression from his encounter with a domestic violence victim in September 2019.

Lorenzo Hernandez was arrested Monday and booked into the Williamson County Jail. He faces charges of assault and official oppression, jail records show. His bond has yet to be set.

Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick said Monday that his office had been working the case with sheriff's investigators and will present it to a grand jury.

Hernandez, who voluntarily left the force in late 2020, had not received public attention until a report from the American-Statesman and KVUE-TV last fall after a months-long investigation of the agency.

The Austin-American Statesman reports Hernandez was captured on body camera footage throwing a domestic violence victim to the ground as deputies forced their way into her apartment in September 2019.

The incident was not part of the 18-month-long production run of "Live PD" in the county, although Hernandez was featured on the reality show, the newspaper reports.

Hernandez is the sixth person, including the county’s former sheriff, to face felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with their conduct at the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

Former Sheriff Robert Chody, who had used Hernandez in social media photos marketing the department’s “Live PD” participation, suspended Hernandez a day for the incident, but promoted him to detective two months later, the news outlet reports.

Chody was arrested in March in Travis County and charged with a third-degree felony of tampering with physical evidence in connection to the Javier Ambler case.

In September, Chody was indicted by a grand jury on evidence tampering charges in Williamson County in connection with video of the in-custody death, according to a Patch October 2020 article.

Former Williamson County deputies James Johnson and Zachary Camden were indicted in March on second-degree manslaughter charges by a Travis County Grand Jury.

Read the full Austin American-Statesman report.

RELATED COVERAGE:
Former WilCo Sheriff Arrested In Connection To Javier Ambler Case

Former Williamson County Deputies Charged With Manslaughter