The Waller County Jail was not protecting Sandra's life while in their custody. Her arrest was a prime example of police overreach. The officer escalated the ticketing and made the arrest a priority.
March 5, 2016
By Ashley Monae
Just three months ago (click here) we were both saddened and agreed by the fact that the grand jury in the Sandra Bland case failed to indict any of the officers involved with her arrest or any other employee of the Waller County Jail.
A month later, Brian Encinia, the Texas trooper who initially pulled Bland over for failing to signal, was indicted on charges of perjury by the grand jury.
Although the charges were not in relation to the jailhouse death, he was still accused of lying about his July 2015 arrest of Bland and their confrontational traffic stop that was caught on dashcam video.
On Tuesday (Mar. 1), Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw made the decision to officially fire Encinia, according to The Chicago Tribune. Encinia’s attorney, Larkin Eakin, previously called the indictment that led to his termination “unjustified,” also sharing that he was concerned for his clients safety.
Since Bland’s arrest, Encinia has been on paid desk duty, even remaining on the payroll after McCraw announced in December that the agency would begin the process of firing him.
CNN reports that the former trooper still has the right to appeal this week’s decision. “He is now no longer a paid employee and will remain that way even if he appeals his dismissal to the state’s Public Safety Commission,” Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger said.
March 5, 2016
By Ashley Monae
Just three months ago (click here) we were both saddened and agreed by the fact that the grand jury in the Sandra Bland case failed to indict any of the officers involved with her arrest or any other employee of the Waller County Jail.
A month later, Brian Encinia, the Texas trooper who initially pulled Bland over for failing to signal, was indicted on charges of perjury by the grand jury.
Although the charges were not in relation to the jailhouse death, he was still accused of lying about his July 2015 arrest of Bland and their confrontational traffic stop that was caught on dashcam video.
On Tuesday (Mar. 1), Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw made the decision to officially fire Encinia, according to The Chicago Tribune. Encinia’s attorney, Larkin Eakin, previously called the indictment that led to his termination “unjustified,” also sharing that he was concerned for his clients safety.
Since Bland’s arrest, Encinia has been on paid desk duty, even remaining on the payroll after McCraw announced in December that the agency would begin the process of firing him.
CNN reports that the former trooper still has the right to appeal this week’s decision. “He is now no longer a paid employee and will remain that way even if he appeals his dismissal to the state’s Public Safety Commission,” Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger said.
