Grand jury indicts DPS trooper who arrested Sandra Bland

[Eugene]

Source: Houston Chronicle

A Waller County grand jury has indicted Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Brian Encinia - the trooper who arrested Sandra Bland - 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.

The charge stemmed from a statement Encinia made in his report of the arrest, in which said he pulled Bland out of her car to continue the investigation.

"They just didn't believe it ... a warrant will be issued and we'll go from there," he said.

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Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Grand-jury-to-meet-today-to-hear-more-details-6740043.php

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By St. John Barned-Smith Updated 4:17 pm, Wednesday, January 6, 2016

[1StrongBlackMan]

1. Wait??? ...

The charge stemmed from a statement Encinia made in his report of the arrest, in which said he pulled Bland out of her car to continue the investigation.

What investigation needed to be conducted ... on a failure to signal stop?

[KT2000]

2. +100!!

[lobodons]

3. Refusing to put out her cigarette upon request

After requesting her to put out her cigarette upon which she declined his request he went all ballistic on her. How dare she be all uppity with him.

[anigbrowl]

5. Seems like the grand jury shared your skepticism about his claim nt

[Downwinder]

8. What a BLM activist was doing in Waller County?

Not like the VanillaISIS.

[Yo_Mama]

10. Well, obviously the grand jury didn't believe it. Who really does?

His grandma, maybe.

[lobodons]

4. Only a misdemeanor??

No wonder cops lie all the time on their reports.

[branford]

6. Don't hold your breadth waiting for a conviction.

There's a looong way from a (misdemeanor) indictment of a police officer in Texas to a unanimous jury conviction.

[Overly]

7. Good

Deserved.

[Yo_Mama]

9. I am glad to see this. You have to charge what can be proven.

If convicted, his career in law enforcement will be completely and irrevocably over, which would be a damned good thing.

[cstanleytech]

11. Ya but thats if he is convicted and the jury at his trial might still find him not guilty

assuming of course he isnt able to plead out to a lesser charge and keeps his job.

[Yo_Mama]

12. Naw. He's not going to get a deal. I think a jury will convict.

It's very hard to believe his statement from the evidence, and despite what everyone claims, most people are concerned about cops like this and want them off the force.

It's not an infraction that most juries would ignore.

[BeyondGeography]

13. Thank the Truth God for dashcams

Encinia won't pay nearly enough for the tragedy he caused, but he isn't totally unscathed, either.

[davidpdx]

15. Agreed

He'll lose his job and probably end up with some jail time if he is convicted. I'd guess they wouldn't try to charge him with perjury unless the evidence was solid. He should get 10 years in prison minimum for his role in this.

[Ash_F]

14. The grand Jury system in Texas has recently changed

http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/19/abbott-signs-grand-jury-reform-legislation/

[Judi Lynn]

16. Trooper in Sandra Bland traffic stop indicted, fired

Trooper in Sandra Bland traffic stop indicted, fired
Associated Press
By MICHAEL GRACZYK
11 minutes ago

HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) — A Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland after a contentious traffic stop last summer was fired Wednesday after being charged with perjury for allegedly lying about his confrontation with the black woman who died three days later in jail.

Trooper Brian Encinia claimed in an affidavit that Bland was "combative and uncooperative" after he pulled her over and ordered her out of her car. The grand jury identified that affidavit in charging Encinia with perjury, special prosecutor Shawn McDonald said Wednesday night.

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.

Bland's arrest and death — which authorities ruled a suicide — provoked national outrage and drew the attention of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protesters linked Bland to other black suspects who were killed in confrontations with police or died in police custody, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/grand-jury-indicts-trooper-sandra-bland-traffic-stop-222758965.html#

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Sandra Bland





Brian Encinia [/center]