The only officer who was receiving charges in relation to the death of Sandra Bland has had all charges dropped. This now means that all law enforcement is off the hook.
Former Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia was the officer who arrested Bland after he pulled her over in Prairie View, Texas, on July 10, 2015. He pulled her for failing to use a turn signal. Three days later Bland was found dead, hanging in a Texas jail cell. The idea that she killed herself has long been contested with many feeling the story just doesn’t add up.
Encinia was facing a perjury charge over making a false statement about the arrest.
These charges have now been dropped after the Chicago Tribune reported that papers filed at the Waller County Courthouse in Hempstead, northwest of Houston, show that the charges against him have been dismissed.
Enchinia had written that he removed Bland from er car to conduct a safer investigation. However dashcam footage showed Bland pulled aggressively from her car and a stun gun being used. He also told Bland that he would “Light you up” for refusing to put out a cigarette and get out of the car.
Bland’s family eventually settled for $1.9 million with Waller County and the Texas Department of Public Safety as part of a wrongful death suit. Encinia was fired in March 2016.
The whole mess leaves a sour taste. All-in-all it’s not surprising that real justice was never served.
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