Sheriff: Inmate who died spoke of a previous suicide attempt

Associated Press

DALLAS

A woman whose death in a Texas jail has raised suspicions about the official conclusion that she hanged herself told a guard during the booking process that she had tried to kill herself in the past, the sheriff said Wednesday.

Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith said two jailers interviewed Sandra Bland after her arrest. He said the 28-year-old black woman from Illinois told the second interviewer that she was not depressed but was upset about her arrest, which occurred after a confrontation with a white officer who stopped her for a minor traffic violation.

The sheriff said both jailers who spoke with Bland insisted that she appeared fine when being booked on a charge of assaulting a public servant.

The attorney representing Bland’s family, Cannon Lambert, said relatives had no evidence that she ever attempted suicide or had been treated for depression.

Documents filled out for Bland indicate she had previously attempted suicide after losing a baby. But the booking papers released Wednesday also indicate Bland did not have suicidal thoughts at the time of her arrest, and that neither the arresting officer nor anyone else at the jail believed she was at risk.

The documents also contain discrepancies.

One questionnaire says Bland took pills in 2015 in an attempt to kill herself after losing the baby. A separate form filled out by another jail employee says the suicide attempt occurred in 2014. One form indicates Bland had suicidal thoughts within the past year, another says that’s not the case.

Bland was arrested July 10 and was found dead three days later. A medical examiner has ruled her death suicide by hanging. Her family and friends dispute the finding. Texas Rangers and the FBI are investigating.

The suicide questionnaire also notes that Bland told jailers she had epilepsy and was taking medication for it. But in another document, this one to be filled out by the inmate and signed by Bland, “no” is circled by the question asking if she’s currently on any medication. In a third document, it is checked “yes” that she’s taking medication.

Lambert said the family had no indication that Bland was ever treated for epilepsy. The Associated Press left messages, seeking comment from Lambert after the jail forms were released.

It was not immediately clear why the sheriff’s department had not acted earlier to disclose details of Bland’s intake form, whether it was widely shared among jail staff or if it prompted jail officials to take any special precautions.

Bland’s body was found three days later in her cell. Authorities say she hanged herself using a plastic liner taken from a garbage can.