Report: Grand jury indicts cop for perjury in Sandra Bland case


The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Brian Encinia has been indicted on perjury charges for his involvement in the Sandra Bland case.

Encinia pulled over the 28-year-old Chicago woman for an improper lane change. A verbal and physical altercation ensued between Bland and Encinia. Bland died three days after her July 10, 2015, arrest, when authorities found her hanging from a noose made from a plastic bag in her jail cell.

Bland's death was ruled a suicide, but her death outraged family members and civil rights advocates.

Bland's relatives have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court against Trooper Encinia, DPS, Waller County and county jailers. A trial date is set for January 2017, according to the Houston Chronicle.

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