The Waller Country grand jury indicted Public Safety Trooper Brian Encinia on perjury charges. Bland’s family, along with activists, however, question the circumstances of her death.
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A Texas state trooper who arrested a black woman who later was found dead in her jail cell was indicted on a misdemeanor perjury charge Wednesday. The grand jury identified that affidavit in charging Encinia with perjury, special prosecutor Shawn McDonald said Wednesday night.
Bland, 28, was forcibly taken out of her auto on July 10 for failing to signal while switching lanes and was arrested.
Bland’s death was ruled a suicide and no one was indicted in her arrest or death.
A dashcam video of the incident showed Encinia telling Bland, “I will light you up”. Bland also accused him of slamming her head to the ground. A legislative inquiry into the conditions surrounding Bland’s death and jail suicides in general was led by Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, who is chair of the House Committee on County Affairs.
Officials say Bland hung herself with a plastic bag that lined the trash can in her cell.
Two weeks ago, the same grand jury decided not to charge anyone at the jail in Bland’s death.
Encinia faces up to a year in jail and up to a $4,000 fine for the class A misdemeanor.
The department could not be immediately reached for a comment on the indictment Wednesday.
The dashcam video shows no evidence that Bland kicked Encinia either visually or aurally.
“Justice has to prevail in some account”, said protester Jinaki Muhammad. “If you don’t have public accountability, you don’t have public trust”. Coleman acknowledged that these problems aren’t unique to DPS, but that “I’m a state legislator and they’re the state police”.
Encinia was placed on administrative for violating procedures and the department’s courtesy policy during the traffic stop.
Bland remained jailed following her arrest because she couldn’t raise about $500 for bail. Bland eventually steps out of the vehicle, and Encinia orders her to the side of the road.
The confrontation continued off-camera but was still audible.
Special prosecutors hadn’t even finished announcing the grand jury’s decision before protesters started their chant: “The whole damn system is guilty as well”. He arrested her for assault on a public servant.
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The video footage and apparent signs that she was suicidal caused uproar, prompting calls by public officials for inquiries into what happened.
