Trooper who pulled over Sandra Bland indicted on perjury charge

The grand jury met to determine whether or not to indict Texas Trooper Brian Encinia for the unlawful arrest of Sandra Bland.

Hempstead, TX-Twenty-five activists protested outside the grand jury at the Waller County Courthouse on January 6. Her death, ruled a suicide, galvanized loved ones, social justice organizations and critics across the country, raising questions about race and policing, jail safety standards and mental health awareness.

Cannon Lambert, an attorney for the Bland family, had been doubtful that the panel would indict Encinia, though he said the charge they selected was the “lowest on the totem pole”. But “the grand jury found that statement to be false”, a special prosecutor, Shawn McDonald, said at the trial Wednesday.

If convicted, the trooper will face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.

In December the grand jury decided not to indict anyone for Bland’s death.

Hours after the indictment, the Texas Department of Public Safety said it would “begin termination proceedings” against Encinia, who has been on paid desk duty since Bland was found dead in her cell.

The arresting officer, Brian Encinia, has been charged with allegedly lying about it, a prosecutor announced after a day of grand jury discussions.

Trooper Brian Encinia claimed in an affidavit that Bland was “combative and uncooperative” after he pulled her over and ordered her out of her auto. She was found dead in her jail cell three days later, on July 13, hanging from a jail cell partition with a plastic garbage bag around her neck.

The video shows the trooper holding a stun gun and yelling, “I will light you up!” after Bland refuses to get out of her vehicle. The confrontation continues off-camera but is still audible. Tension between Bland and Encinia escalated verbally and physically, and Encinia arrested Bland.

Bland’s arrest and subsequent death drew national attention, in part due to the video of the traffic stop recorded by a dashboard camera inside Encinia’s patrol vehicle. Encinia said he then used force “to subdue Bland to the ground”, and she continued to fight back. Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw has said Encinia violated internal policies of professionalism and courtesy during the traffic stop, which he made because Bland had made an improper lane change.

“Justice has to prevail in some account”, said protester Jinaki Muhammad.

Her family has maintained she should never have been arrested and would never kill herself.

Until those things happen, Cooper said, Bland’s relatives won’t have the answers they need.