Now.". Five Democratic 2020 candidates said video of the 2015 arrest days before the woman was found dead in a cell warrants a new look at the case. Still Practicing: Tracking Problem Doctors, Texas Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout Investigations, Sign up for More than the Score Sports newsletter. The Post reported: "While the number of black males armed and unarmed who have been killed has fallen, black males continue to be shot at disproportionately high rates, the data shows. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. During Bland's arrest, Encinia threatened her with a taser, as Texas state Sen. Royce West confirmed. Now, newly released audio recordings show former Texas Department of Safety Trooper Brian Encinia claims he feared for his own personal safety after pulling over Sandra Bland, a28-year-old black woman, in Waller County on July 21, 2015. Maybe she fell when she was in handcuffs. June 28, 2017. It mandates county jails divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment. | The Texas Tribune Trooper fired for Sandra Bland stop: My safety was in jeopardy. Former Texas Department of Safety Trooper Brian Encinia says he feared for his personal safety after pulling over Sandra Bland in Waller County on July 21, 2015. That was the only criminal charge he faced. Encinia's future seems up in the air, and as developments in the case proceed over the next few years, it's possible that he could still face criminal charges. But Bland was alive when her mugshots were taken. The decision to fire Brian Encinia, the Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland, was upheld by the Texas Department of Public Safety, a news release says. Geneva Reed-Veal, Bland's mother, balked at Encinia's perjury misdemeanor charge, which carries up to a $4,000 fine and a year in jail. The charge against Brian Encinia was dropped after he agreed to surrender his state law enforcement . Former congressman Beto ORourke (D-Tex.) The story of Sandra Bland, the 28-year-old who was found dead in a Texas jail cell earlier this month, was given . A pair of officers in Chicago who helped federal officials catch a network of corrupt and abusive cops operating in one of the citys housing projects later said in December that they had been retaliated against by colleagues. A Texas grand jury decided not to hand down indictments against anyone connected to the death of Sandra Bland, including her arresting officer, Texas state trooper Brian Encinia. All we know is that he is not active on any social media platforms. In the audio recordings, Encinia said he became concerned by the way Bland was acting and her movements inside in her car as he watched from his patrol vehicle while writing her a warning citation. (Designed by Jos Dennis/Community Impact Newspaper). Bland, 28, was found hanging in her jail cell three days after state trooper Brian Encinia arrested her after a routine traffic stop July 10, 2015. Where was Derek Chauvin born? Black males accounted for 22 percent of all people shot and killed in 2017, yet they are 6 percent of the total population. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. Prairie View, TX, police officer Michael Kelley says that a local prosecutor and police officials suppressed facts about Bland's initial arrest while investigating Brian Encinia, the man who actually cuffed and booked Bland. Source Austin American-Statesman. Encinia was eventually charged, but only with perjurya decision that sparked further outrage. We do not know exactly where he is right now in 2020. The claim that Bland was dead in her mugshot has proved popular on social media. Gary Hershorn, who spent more than 30 years as a photographyeditor for Reuters, said it would be easy to alterBland's eyes fromthe official mugshot to make them appear to roll back. He completed his education at Texas A&M University. Encinia, who also has been indicted on a criminal charge of perjury, stopped Bland for what police said was failure to signal a lane change and arrested her after a confrontation that began when he ordered her to put out her cigarette. Police said Blanddiedby suicidein her jail cellthree days later. I dont know what happened, but something did, and to me, that was the reasonable suspicion.. In late July 2015,Waller County, Texas, officialsreleased several hours of video footage showing Bland walking around the jail and sitting for her mugshot. After Bland allegedly refused to put out her cigarette, Encinia ordered her out of the vehicle. Former state Trooper Brian Encinia, who pulled Bland over on July 10, 2015, in Prairie View, Texas, for failing to use a turn signal, no longer faces a perjury charge for making a false statement . Atlantic City Sergeant Mark Benjamin says he got a death threat after reporting officers for abuse of force. The newly surfaced video begins when the trooper walks back . The second interview was done on Feb. 22, 2016, after he was indicted by a Waller County grand jury on a perjury charge. Blands family said it was never shown the clip and called on Texas officials to reopen a criminal investigation against the arresting officer. Kelleys claims that he tried to expose misconduct in Blands case stand out as unusual. His attorney did not return our call. Her death was ruled a suicide. US Casinos With FreeSpins: Why Players Like No-Deposit Bonuses? She shouldve never been arrested. Orta was released in May 2020 and is under court supervision until January 2022. The traffic stop quickly escalated and Bland was arrested. More: George Floyd. Sandra Bland was found dead of suicide in a Texas jail cell in July 2015 after being arrested by state trooper Brian Encinia, who claimed she threatened his safety. "When the incident happened with George Floyd, it broke me down. Once in handcuffs and placed on the the ground, the violator stated that she has epilepsy. The trooper, Brian T. Encinia, approached Ms. Bland's car, took her information and returned to his vehicle to write out a citation. He got recognition from people after he arrested Sandra Bland who was hanged three days after this arrest. The first interview was conducted three months after Blands death in 2015. In June 2017, Encinia agreed to a plea deal that dropped his charge; in exchange, he had to agree not to appeal his firing, surrender his police license and never reapply. Watch: Booneville holds on to beat Morton 34-30 in MHSAA 3A Semifinals Scorebook Live; Montana Ag Report 3-1-23 KTVQ Billings, MT; Pedestrian deaths on the rise nationwide Waller County officials released video that shows Bland alive as her mugshot wastaken. They could have charged him with so many other charges, but they charged him with a perjury. Container: FLAC (tracks) Quality: Hi-Fi, lossless audio Sample Rate: 44100 Hz / 16 bit, Stereo Source: CD Album Artist/Name: Brian Eno - Rams - Original Soundtrack Album Genre: Ambient Release Date: 2020 www publisher: hd24bit.com ArtWork: not included Encinia wrote in his affidavit that he had Bland exit the vehicle and handcuffed her after she became combative, and that she swung her elbows at him and kicked him in his right shin. Trooper Encinia stated that he understood. The footage shows Bland walking back and forth in the jail's entryway. how to get to quezon avenue mrt station Uncovering hot babes since 1919. Page Six reported Friday that the former president "now has a regular gig" as a DJ at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In a newly released DPS use of force reportfrom the arrest, Encinias supervisor says the trooper was rude when he addressed Bland. For many Black Americans, these deaths and others have caused lasting trauma. There must be full accountability and justice.. Numerous NYPD officers told local public radio reporters in 2012 that they had been frozen out and labeled as snitches by colleagues after reporting corrupt activity to Internal Affairs. South Carolina officer Michael Slager was charged with murdering Walter Scottbut only after cell phone video from a bystander proved that cops had been lying about Scotts death for days. pic.twitter.com/dmhlQAiELZ. He told me it wouldnt be good for my career, Kelley told McLaughlin, adding that Assistant District Attorney Warren Diepraam also threatened to put him beneath the jail if he went public with his story. Sandra Bland. As USA TODAY reported in 2015, video from the Waller County jail provedBland was alive while her mugshots were taken. (May 7), George Floyd. "But I pray for them and I just pray for better days for America because America is messed up right now.". Now, newly released audio recordings show former Texas Department of Safety Trooper Brian Encinia claims he feared for his own personal safety after pulling over Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old black . Texas Department of Public Safety released a statement, visiting criminal law scholar at the University of Houston. Hours after the indictment, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced that Encinia would be fired from his post, reports the New York Times. Bland's sister said there is a bond among families of Blacks killed by officers. . A prosecutor can still go to trial if he or she believes that the evidence is strong enough to warrant one, and there will still be a grand jury regarding the events surrounding the arrest. What happened to State Trooper Brian Encinia? Sandra Bland. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Sign Up for Daily News & Breaking News Newsletters, Sign up for Digging Deep: Inside KXAN Investigates newsletter. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. It also requires an independent investigation into jail deaths. Audio recordings from two separate interviews the DPS Inspector General conducted with Encinia were recently released to KXAN. And when a grand jury was weighing an indictment against Enciniawho was eventually charged with perjury and fired from the Prairie View forceKelley wanted to testify to what hed seen and heard, but says the prosecutor would not let him. A native Texan, Nola serves as reporter for the Katy edition of Community Impact Newspaper. At the conclusion of this investigation, any violations of protocols will be addressed. The question is, how seriously can they deliver. Both incriminating details were removed from Kelleys incident report before it was officially filed, the officer says. We do not know exactly where he is right now in 2020. Most of the time, the blue wall of silence has to get torn down from the outside. Waller County District Judge Albert . Nationwide tensions over the deathsof Black Americans in police custody particularly at traffic stopsandevidence that law enforcement officialsedited several segments from the dashcam videoalso heightened skepticism. In May, the world responded with protests and riots after George Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody. Friday, October 30, 2020. . subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. I knew something was wrong, but I didnt know what was wrong. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our If convicted of the perjury charge, Encinia could face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. When speaking with Trooper Encinia about this he said that he had no intentions of being rude. My safety was in jeopardy at more than one time, said Encinia, during an interview by the agencys Office of Inspector General, when asked if he was scared during the traffic stop. "You have to be the best person that you can be, because you don't know who you are going to encounter on that day," said Needham. Knowing he could not ticket Bland for failure to stop at the sign, Encinia went on to explain why he followed her. Amplifying Black voices through news that matters. A new Sandra Bland recording is released, and 2020 Democratic candidates weigh in on police brutality, The latest: Twitter suspends Sen. Lees personal account, The latest: Garland puts in plug for renewing intelligence-gathering tool, Noted: Rep. Pascrell criticizes decision to lay off N.J. congressional reporter, Nikki Haleys bogus claims about foreign aid dollars, Showdown before the raid: FBI agents and prosecutors argued over Trump, Underrecognized: Extremist murders are usually from right-wing actors. My primary concern was with that purse, with her console, as far as being any kinds of weapons or drugs or, its unknown to me. Bland was pulled over for a minor traffic violation on July 10 by State Trooper Brian Encinia. Encinia, who still awaits trial on the perjury indictment, may appeal his firing under department rules. The Texas Department of Public Safety released a statement announcing that Encinia would be placed on indefinite desk duty for violations of department protocols on July 17, four days after Bland was found dead in her Waller County jail cell. On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was killed in the New York City borough of Staten Island after Daniel Pantaleo, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer, put him in a prohibited chokehold while arresting him. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Cellphone video recorded by Sandra Bland, a black woman found dead in a Texas jail following a confrontational 2015 traffic stop, shows for the first time her perspective as a . You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. FILE - In this July 10, 2015 image made from dashcam video provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, then-Trooper Brian Encinia arrests Sandra Bland after a routine traffic stop led to a . When George Floyd died last spring, emotions from the Bland family tragedy were rekindled. Trooper Encinia said that he was genuinely concerned that something was going on with the violator because of the behavior that she was displaying. Here are the best, CMT Music Awards ticket presale starts Wednesday. Trooper Brian Encinia has been indicted on charges of lying about his arrest of Bland, later found hanged in a jail cell. The Bland family received a $1.9 million settlement in their wrongful-death suit. Bland is heard on the video crying and in distress as she repeatedly tells officers that they were hurting her and that she couldn't hear after being slammed into the ground. It continues to happen. A Texas grand jury has opted to indict Brian Encinia, the Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland three days before her July death, and charge . after she refuses to get out of her car. The post includes a pictureshowing Bland in an orange jumpsuit with her eyes rolled back into her head. Now, Bland's family is alleging that the Texas Department of Public Safety . Encinia's attorney Larkin Eakin Jr. says that Encinia will appeal the termination. I talked to one of Sandra Bland's sisters, Sharon Cooper, about the significance of . What is Trading in Cryptocurrency and Where to Practice It. Aside from the violated regulations, there is considerable division in the Texas legal community about the legality of Encinia's actions. Joe Crystal was a rising star in the Baltimore Police Department until he blew the whistle on fellow cops who had covered up a brutal beating of a handcuffed suspect, and was hounded out of the department. Six officers in Whittier, CA, sued for similar reasons there over a year ago. As of recent reports, he is currently 34 years of age. This recording raises new questions about Encinias account and the investigation that followed. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. And many 2020 hopefuls weighed in as well. A Texas trooper indicted over his arrest of a black woman who was later found dead in jail has been formally fired, three months after his bosses first announced they would do so, state officials . In the podcast Texas Standard, Jim Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project, says that Encinia had no legal authority to order Bland to put out her cigarette or to exit her car. As for the former Texas state trooper who arrested Bland, the I-Team was unable to find current contact information for Brian Encinia. As part of the agreement, changes were made to procedures at the Texas jail and sensors were installed to ensure checks on detainees are accurately recorded. If her video helps someone get there, all the better. Tweets and Facebook posts with the claim have been shared tens of thousands of times. Their wrongful-death suit reporting officers for abuse of force reportfrom the arrest, Encinia her! 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