HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) – A fired Texas trooper is facing arraignment on a misdemeanor perjury charge related to his arrest last summer of Sandra Bland, a black woman who was later found dead in a county jail.
A Waller County grand jury indicted Brian Encinia in January on the perjury charge for saying in an affidavit that he removed a combative Bland from her car after stopping her near Houston for a minor traffic violation so he could further conduct a safer traffic investigation.
Encinia’s lawyer has said the court appearance set for Tuesday afternoon likely would be brief.
Bland’s jail death was ruled a suicide. Her arrest captured on a police dashcam video provoked national outrage and the attention of the Black Lives Matter movement. Her relatives have filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
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