Grand jury refuses to indict anyone in connection with Sandra Bland's death
WALLER COUNTY, TX -- The grand jury has decided that no one should be indicted in connection with the death of a suburban Chicago woman found dead inside a Texas jail cell over the summer, a special prosecutor for the case tells KTRK-TV, ABC7's sister station in Houston.
From the officers to jailers inside the Waller County Jail, no one will face criminal charges in the case. The prosecutor says grand jurors will reconvene January 6 to discuss other, misdemeanor matters related to the case.
The decision comes hours after Bland's family held a press conference in Chicago to say they seem confident in the proceedings.
"It's the secrecy of it all. I can't even begin to tell you what's going on because I, myself don't know what's going on, to not have my counsel be privy to any of this evidence that's being presented," Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal said in Chicago.
This summer, trooper Brian Encinia pulled Bland over for a traffic stop. The situation quickly escalated. Bland was arrested and housed in the Waller County jail. 3 days later, she was found dead inside a jail cell. Investigators said she hanged herself.
This is the third time the grand jury has met with five appointed special prosecutors to review evidence. It's not the job of special prosecutors to make any recommendations.
"We got the information probably in September, so we've been doing a lot of meetings, a lot of review of the information during that time," special prosecutor Lewis White said earlier Monday.
The process has been difficult for Bland's family.
"That's what's the hardest about this process, going through this Christmas season, yet again. We just passed Thanksgiving, and now we're about to go Christmas, Sandy's not here. And more than that, we still don't have answers," Reed-Veal said.
