RE: Bottom line. Both the cop and woman ended up with a bad day.
Still, the disturbing thing that screams for an explanation is this — HOW DID SHE END UP IN JAIL FOR 3 DAYS !!
If this was a minor traffic violation, why was she in jail for DAYS??
It started as a failure to signal, but at the end it’s not a stretch to see any one of a variety of failure to comply, resisting arrest, felony assault/battery (esp since she was in a physical altercation with a cop) charges that could be leveled on her based solely on the cop’s version of events. Which will always take precedence over the “I’m innocent” protestations of the person under arrest, regardless of which parties might be telling the truth or lying.
The cop, though, should have been expected to keep cool and not allow the situation to escalate. I can see how the lighting up of a cigarette could be seen as a challenge and act of insolence (see the old Jeff Foxworthy joke), but the cop still has a duty to at least try to keep the situation under control.
(the Foxworthy joke, btw, was “You know you’re a redneck if your grandmother doesn’t bother to take the Marlboro out of her mouth when she tells the State Trooper to kiss her a**.)
“HOW DID SHE END UP IN JAIL FOR 3 DAYS !!”
It is because the arrest was on a Friday. See the arrest report for that info: http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/documents/Assault_Public_Servant_redct.PDF
Don’t get yourself arrested on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday... because, if you do, unless you have big connections, you will not be able to get a bail hearing until Monday. This means you will be held until bail can be set. This is something that should have been fixed in our legal system long ago, but it can happen to anyone.
Oh, also, three days without sleep can render the most level-headed person, completely insane with symptoms including hallucinations and extreme paranoia. And being in jail can definitely disrupt normal sleep patterns.
The only time I have ever been inside a jail cell was when I met a police officer to file a theft report. The process of being let in and out made me feel helpless and claustrophobic even though my stay only lasted a few minutes. This was in a pretty decent jurisdiction, and I did not have to encounter anyone who had been arrested. Takeaway: jail is not a very pleasant place.