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Ex-guard admits falsifying jail records before Sandra Bland's death, lawyer says
NY Daily News ^ | 22 July 2016 | Keri Blackinger

Posted on 07/23/2016 11:51:49 AM PDT by Theoria

A former Texas jail guard recently admitted to falsifying log entries to show he checked on Sandra Bland an hour before her death when in fact he didn't, according to a lawyer for Bland's family.

But Waller County officials say that's not what jailer Rafael Zuniga's testimony said at all.

"Numerous depositions have been taken in the case involving dozens of hours of testimony," lawyer Larry Simmons said, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"It is a gross miscarriage of justice and a misrepresentation for any party to cherry-pick or mischaracterize a small portion of that testimony, and take it out of context."

Bland's in-custody death last year sparked protests across the country as angry activists demanded answers.

The 28-year-old was in the middle of moving from Texas to the Chicago area when she was collared during a troubling traffic stop when she forgot to put on her turn signal. The arresting officer claimed Bland was combative, but dashcam footage called the cop's version of events into question.

(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: jail; police; sandrabland; texas
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Tampering with a government document is a violation of state law that can range from a misdemeanor to a felony.
1 posted on 07/23/2016 11:51:50 AM PDT by Theoria
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To: Theoria

Misdemeanor or felony is not the issue.

The issue is now, how many millions of dollars Waller County tax payers will pay to the family.


2 posted on 07/23/2016 11:55:35 AM PDT by Timpanagos1
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To: Theoria

Who cares? No criminal intent. No crime.

We all need to move on.


3 posted on 07/23/2016 11:56:01 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: Theoria

Have never heard of someone being pulled over for not using a turn signal.


4 posted on 07/23/2016 11:58:08 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: Theoria

There has to be more to this story than this. Getting pulled over and then taken to jail for failing to use a turn signal? My goodness, how many millions of people do that every day?

And if she showed suicidal tendencies, why wasn’t she under 24 hour watch?


5 posted on 07/23/2016 11:58:39 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: BenLurkin

She was driving erratically, as I understand it.


6 posted on 07/23/2016 11:59:17 AM PDT by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults)
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To: BenLurkin; exDemMom

You can see it happen all the time on Cops.

Anyway, she also ran a stop sign, and it was recorded on the officer’s dash cam.


7 posted on 07/23/2016 12:01:11 PM PDT by chris37 (heartless)
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To: Theoria

Isn’t there video of the holding cell corridor or something?


8 posted on 07/23/2016 12:01:51 PM PDT by PLMerite (Compromise is Surrender: The Revolution...will not be kind.)
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To: Jonty30

driving erratically
= = =

When I am in a unfamiliar city, much of my driving may be called ‘erratic’

Driving slowly to see street markers at intersections.

Dodging potholes.

Changing lanes at the last moment, when it is hard to see ‘must turn left’ or ‘must turn right’ arrows ahead of time.


9 posted on 07/23/2016 12:10:44 PM PDT by Scrambler Bob (As always, /s is implicitly assumed. Unless explicitly labled /not s. Saves keystrokes.)
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To: chris37

Running a stop sign seems like a valid reason to pull someone over. Failing to use a turn signal is not.


10 posted on 07/23/2016 12:14:04 PM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: BenLurkin; ExTexasRedhead

“Have never heard of someone being pulled over for not using a turn signal.”

Yes, but never being jailed and die there! With all of this righteous indignation about how law enforcement isn’t being respected, and I believe that that’s true, the cops have a piece of this when stuff like this happens. I have a good friend who was our town’s first Police Chief. He’s been retired for at least 15 years, and only now do I see a person who isn’t convinced that everyone around him is a potential criminal. Being a cop changes a person, and not for the better. You simply can’t deal with $hit every day and not have in affect you negatively. All that said, the unwarranted killing citizens ( or their family pets) has to stop. If the cops want our respect, they will have to earn it, and they will have to be willing to punish their own when necessary! Waco, are you listening?


11 posted on 07/23/2016 12:16:59 PM PDT by vette6387
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To: exDemMom

Oh yes it most certainly is.

Why don’t you google it and educate yourself.


12 posted on 07/23/2016 12:20:34 PM PDT by chris37 (heartless)
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To: exDemMom

Just because cops don’t pull people over for things like failing to use the turn signal does not mean they can’t. They can use any failing to drive properly as a reason to pull you over.

They often do, so they can check for possible warrants.


13 posted on 07/23/2016 12:25:32 PM PDT by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults)
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To: Theoria

With common sense discretion, the LEO could have avoided all of this. It should have never escalated to her being jailed.

The traffic stop was nearly all over when the LEO tells her to put out her cigarette she was smoking while she was seated in her own vehicle. That is when it escalated and I believe this is what the LEO intended to happen.

Dash cam video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpSEemvwOn4


14 posted on 07/23/2016 12:27:51 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: BenLurkin

I have. I know in Florthe law is you don’t need to signal if there is no other vehicle nearby that would be impacted by your turn. From what I’ve seen, they are usually pretext stops.


15 posted on 07/23/2016 12:29:43 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: chris37
Why don’t you google it and educate yourself.

Really? Do you know a lot of people who were pulled over and ticketed because they didn't use their turn signal? I sure don't. I know perfectly well that it is a law on the books, but I have never heard of anyone getting pulled over with that as the primary reason. That doesn't mean it won't be included on the ticket if someone gets pulled over for something else and they also didn't use the turn signal. I could see them being pulled over for unsafe lane change--barging in front of another car, for instance, while not using the turn signal. Also, being taken to the police station and being booked over it? Nope, something doesn't smell right here.

16 posted on 07/23/2016 12:29:59 PM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: exDemMom

Getting pulled over and then taken to jail for failing to use a turn signal?”

Now you know why some senior drivers leave theirs on all the time - just in case they ever want to turn. Of course they might turn the opposite way of their signal. LOL.


17 posted on 07/23/2016 12:30:53 PM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: Jonty30

Police us excuses like 3 mph over, took a corner to wide or plates expired by one day on New Year’s Day as an excuse to pull you over and look in your car hoping you might be drinking, have drugs or some other thing they can tag you for.


18 posted on 07/23/2016 12:32:10 PM PDT by Newbomb Turk (Hey Newbomb, where's your brothers ElCamino ?)
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To: Jonty30
They often do, so they can check for possible warrants.

I thought their license plate readers could check that without you knowing, and certainly without the cop pulling you over.

I got pulled over a year or so ago because my back lights were not working. So hubby had them fixed and took the repair receipt to the police station to have the ticket cleared.

19 posted on 07/23/2016 12:33:56 PM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: Theoria

“Numerous depositions have been taken in the case involving dozens of hours of testimony,”

UNLESS YOU ARE HILLARY CLINTON!


20 posted on 07/23/2016 12:35:50 PM PDT by Jim from C-Town (The government is rarely benevolent, often malevolent and never benign!)
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