HEMPSTEAD - A former Texas trooper pleaded not guilty to charges he lied about his actions last July while arresting Sandra Bland, whose death in Waller County's jail three days later sparked a national outcry from civil rights activists.

Dressed in a gray suit and tie and flanked by his attorneys, former Department of Public Safety Trooper Brian T. Encinia said little Tuesday afternoon during a minutes-long arraignment hearing before State District Judge Albert M. McCaig Jr.

Encinia, 30, pulled Bland over near Prairie View A&M University in July for failing to signal a lane change. The stop spiraled out of control when Bland, a Chicago native, refused to put out a cigarette Encinia had asked her to extinguish.

Dashcam video showed Encinia reaching into Bland's car and trying to pull her out, and brandishing a stun gun and warning her "I'll light you up."

Bland was found hanged in her jail cell three days later. The death, ruled a suicide, provoked a nationwide outcry and fueled an ongoing debate about the way police interact with the public, particularly minorities.

Demanding accountability

In an arrest affidavit, Encinia said he had ordered Bland out of the car to safely continue the investigation.

A Waller County grand jury indicted Encinia in January of misdemeanor perjury based on that statement, according to a special prosecutor in the case. If convicted, Encinia could spend up to a year in jail and have to pay a $4,000 fine.

Earlier this month, DPS Director Steve McCraw formally fired Encinia, saying he violated the department's courtesy policy and procedures. Encinia is appealing the termination to the Texas Public Safety Commission. Separately, the trooper is named in a wide-ranging civil lawsuit filed by Bland's family that alleges negligence and wrongful death. Attorneys representing Encinia in that case have asked - unsuccessfully - that it be delayed while his criminal trial plays out. The civil trial is set to begin next January.

Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, and older sister, Shante Needham, both appeared at the arraignment, along with their lawyer, Cannon Lambert.

"To come all this way, I needed to do it," said Bland's mother after the hearing, as she embraced those who'd gathered in support of her and her family.

"I'm hopeful things go in the direction that [Encinia] eventually gets detained and he can remain there for the maximum amount of time that perjury carries," Needham said. "At the end of the day, my sister, my mother's daughter, is no longer here anymore. He needs to be held accountable for his actions."

Encinia's attorneys, meanwhile, said the indictment represented a "fundamental misunderstanding" of police procedure, blaming the charge on a "runaway grand jury" and a "media frenzy."

"This case now represents much more than Brian Encinia," said Chip Lewis, the attorney. "It is a threat to all Texas police officers in the state of Texas."

Bland's family had met with the special prosecutors handling the case and made clear that they were not interested in a plea deal, but wanted Encinia to receive the maximum penalty provided under the law, said Lambert, the family's attorney.

"Anything short of that, I think, will be a disservice to this family," he said.

The people's still watching

Despite its brevity, the hearing and the circumstances leading up to it continued to generate strong emotions, with approximately three dozen protesters gathering outside the courthouse to continue to press for more information and accountability regarding Bland's death.

"We want to know what happened to our sister," said one protester, surrounded by others carrying signs like, "Justice for Sandy," and "Stop Police Brutality NOW."

"We trust [the police] to be in good health, in a good mental state and definitely in a good emotional that they're not going to go off," said Ruth Abigail Rodriguez, among the protesters. " Right now they're saying that Encinia did everything he was supposed to do – I disagree."

In one tense moment, the protesters confronted Sheriff Glenn Smith outside the courthouse, accusing him of being responsible for Bland's death, which they called a murder.

"This is their right," he said, when reporters asked him about the protesters' comments.

Sarah Kim contributed to this report.