Texas sheriff says woman told guard she had tried before to kill herself

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 following 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.

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. An autopsy conducted by the Harris County medical examiner has been completed and given to Waller County, where officials have not said when it will be released.