Texas Trooper Who Arrested Sandra Bland Has Been Indicted
A Waller County grand jury has indicted Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Brian Encinia on perjury charges. The charge is a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted, Encinia could face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
Grand juries typically review felony cases. Darrell Jordan, one of five special prosecutors assigned to the case, stated “Because he [is] an officer, they have to go through an indictment process, regardless of whether it’s a felony or a misdemeanor.” The grand jury’s indictment stemmed from a statement by Encinia
Encinia pulled Bland over on July 10, 2015 for making an improper lane change near Prairie View A&M University, her alma mater, where she had just interviewed and accepted a job. Dashcam video from Encinia’s patrol car shows that the traffic stop quickly became confrontational.
The video shows the trooper holding a stun gun and yelling, “I will light you up!” after Bland refuses to get out of her car. Bland eventually steps out of the vehicle, and Encinia ordered her to the side of the road.
Encinia’s probable cause affidavit that he filed to justify his arrest of Sandra, stated he “removed her from her vehicle to further conduct a safer traffic investigation,” but grand jurors “found that statement to be false,” said Shawn McDonald, one of five special prosecutors appointed to investigate.
Because of her arrest, Sandra was taken to the jail where she was later found hung in her cell. The grand jury failed to indict anyone for her death.
Sandra’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Encinia.
Posted on 01/06/2016, in Cases, Cops Gone Wild, Sandra Bland and tagged Brian Encinia, indicted, perjury, Sandra Bland, Texas. Bookmark the permalink. 23 Comments.
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident 
Encinia has now been terminated from his job.
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At least it’s a start. My question has always been why would she hang herself for this ??? There is no doubt there is far more to that aspect.
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Racer,
INDEED! I wondered how she could hang herself from a partition when she was taller than the partition. This is a case of “if not but for the fact …” If not but for the fact that Encinia falsely arrested her, Sandra would not have died in jail.
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You can restrict the blood flow in your neck without hanging yourself from a high point.
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Two sides, is it likely that a person wanting to kill themselves would do it in a manner that causes suffering?
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Not only is jail depressing, Sandra’s incarceration caused her to miss starting her new job, if I’m not mistaken. None of us can really see into another person’s psyche or ever know all the reasons for someone else’s behavior, but I can see how the unfair and outrageous arrest might bring about a self-destructive result, especially in a woman and most especially in a woman of color. You just get tired of going two steps forward and one step back. It was probably really difficult to put the situation in perspective from inside a jail cell.
At least they’re firing the officer too. That’s no little feat in an era where so many officers keep their jobs no matter what they do. I hope all law enforcement agencies will take a hard look at their employees and start weeding out those with nasty attitudes.
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My dad was one of those with nasty attitudes, in personal and professional life, and so I second this.
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Trust me, as a former cop, I’ve seen many with similar funky attitudes. It is really frightening and terribly sad!
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Two sides to a story, One can only wonder if the officer had not been a minority would they have taken the same action?
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I hope that the indictment will signal the beginning of him truly being held accountable. The trial will hopefully prove this, but I remain skeptical until he is found guilty.
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I know Dreamer. So many are set free rather than convicted.
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Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
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Thanks for the reblog, dear friend.
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Please mention the case about the police in San Francisco who shot the young adult with a knife. He was up against the wall and everyone opened fired.. Kind of like a firing squad… I like your work!
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Juan,
Thanks for your kind words. I read about the case and saw the video. I’ll look it up and will try posting a blog about it by the weekend.
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Or those cops in SF who sent those racist texts then they were told they couldn’t be prosecuted because the time limit
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Hey Juan,
Yep! I have lots of catching up to do. Trial just started for another of the Baltimore 6. I’m going to wait until after jury selection to blog about the trial. There’s so much going on that I could literally stay online for 8 hours blogging.
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Part of me is glad to see a pretense of interest in justice.
The other part of me wishes Sandra got a chance to spend $4,000 and a year in jail, the same way does the officer who effectively ended her life.
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Deborah,
I hear you. If people are guilty, let them have the opportunity of due process. That is something that so many people are deprived the right to exercise.
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https://twitter.com/CelinaGrayMusic/status/684902440689340416
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https://twitter.com/brendanpmiller/status/684901708313542657
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This already interesting case has just gotten a bit more interesting. What’s amazing is the lies that are told in the name of “justice”. We are just now getting the information that this cop perjured himself and in my opinion, everything else surrounding her untimely demise is suspect. I am delighted that “justice” is now being served. THESE are sad times in which we are living. PLEASE PRAY!!!
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