Brian Encinia, the state trooper responsible for stopping and arresting Sandra Bland, has been indicted on perjury charges, according to CNN. Shortly after the decision was reached, the Department of Public Safety announced that the state police agency "will begin termination proceedings to discharge him," according to The New York Times.
Bland was found dead in police custody three days after her arrest, at Waller County jail, where she was held after allegedly failing to use her turn signal, according to CNN. She was claimed to have committed suicide whilst being held in the cell but family members and other critics have pointed to improper use of police force as a factor in her death, according to The Atlantic.
Encinia stopped Bland after an improper lane change on July 10 but the situation escalated into a verbal altercation and physical confrontation that led to Encinia threatening to use a stun gun against Bland and shouting "I will light you up," according to The Atlantic.
Encinia had claimed in an affidavit that Bland was "combative and uncooperative" when he pulled her over, which a grand jury did not believe to be truthful, according to the Associated Press. Special prosecutor Shawn McDonald told reporters outside the courthouse that "the indictment was issued in reference to the reasoning that (Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia) removed her from her vehicle," according to CNN.
No officers were indicted as a result of Bland's death and her family has expressed discontent with Encinia's perjury misdemeanor charge, which carries a maximum prison term of one year and a $4,000 fine, according to the Associated Press.
"To charge this guy of a misdemeanor, are you kidding me? I'm angry, absolutely," Bland's mother said, according to the Associated Press, claiming that Encinia should have been charged with false arrest, assault and battery.
The Bland family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Encinia and the guards at the jail in August and the trial is expected to go forward at the beginning of next year, according to The Atlantic.
