Texas Jail Forms Say Sandra Bland Had Previous Suicide Attempt
(CBS) -- Jail intake forms from Waller County, Tex., say that former Naperville resident Sandra Bland attempted suicide early this year.
A questionnaire, which says it was taken July 10 in the hour following her arrest near Houston, has the notation "in 2015 lost baby by taking pills."
However, there are inconsistencies in the documents, released by the Waller County Sheriff's office.
Two questions before the notation, Bland answered no when asked, "Have you had thoughts of killing yourself in the last year?" A similar question is answered "no" elsewhere in the documents, and a handwritten notation on another page appears to list 2014 as the date of the attempt with a "5" written over the "4."
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Family attorney Cannon Lambert said Wednesday evening he had seen the documents, but was not prepared to comment on them pending a series of phone calls.
At an earlier news conference, Lambert said the Bland's family had "no evidence" of a previously attempted suicide.
Bland, who was African-American, was found dead three days after her arrest, which followed a confrontation with a white officer who had stopped her for a minor traffic violation.
A medical examiner in Texas has ruled her death suicide by hanging. Her family and friends dispute the finding.
"Sandy was a social activist," he said. "Social activists don't take their own life, particularly in jail. It just doesn't make sense."
Lambert said at the news conference that Bland hadn't been acting suicidal and the family had no indication she had been treated for depression.
One of Bland's sisters, Sharon Cooper, indicated outrage after viewing the dash camera video of the July 10 arrest.
"The officer was picking on her, point blank, period," she said. "And I personally think it was petty."
Cooper said if an officer had threatened to "light you up" with a taser, as officer Brian Encinia warned Bland on the dash camera video when she refused to get out of her car, she also would have balked.
She said authorities had told the family Encinia's actions were "inappropriate," but said they did not have details as to why. Encinia has been reassigned to desk duty.
Lambert said the family would hire an expert to determine if the dash camera video had been altered in any way. Questions arose because of people and vehicles that appear, disappear and reappear and other anomalies in the 52-minute video. The sheriff's department has released a new copy of the video, which shows the interaction of Encinia and Bland as it escalates into a physical confrontation.
Bland was found dead in her cell at the Waller County Jail three days later. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation from hanging, but the family began questioning the finding immediately.
The 28-year-old Bland was moving to Texas to begin a new job at her alma mater.
Lambert refused to rule out a civil wrongful death suit, which could be filed regardless of the outcome of the death investigation.
Funeral arrangements have been set for Bland. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, with funeral services to follow at 11 a.m., at the DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church, 4300 Yackley Av., in Lisle.
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