Texas Mom Claims Police Officer of Handcuffing and Pressing Her Face into Pile of Fire Ants

A Texas woman has claimed Santa Fe police officers of pressing her face into a pile of fire ants, leading to multiple bite marks on her head and chest.

Santa Fe Police Arrests Texas Woman

Taylor Rogers narrated that the circumstances took place on August 19, 2021, while she was taking her son to school.

According to her federal civil lawsuit, an officer approached her vehicle contentiously, prompting her to panic and drive the wrong way down a bus-only lane.

The suit, initially filed in July and amended in January, states that Rogers, who suffers from mental illness and PTSD from a prior police encounter, was forcibly slammed to the ground, handcuffed tightly enough to cut her skin, and had her leg twisted with excessive force. She was then hog-tied and her face was shoved into a pile of fire ants, causing severe pain.

Rogers' lawsuit aims to prevent such incidents in the future, arguing that no officer should treat a detained person in this manner.

Newly released body-camera footage shows Rogers on the grass, wailing and begging as ants crawl on her face. During a news conference, Rogers emphasized the circumstances as indicative of a lack of empathy and compassion in some law enforcement officers.

Her attorney, Randall Kallinen, who organized a GoFundMe campaign for her, noted that she suffered over 300 fire ant bites and immense pain.

Santa Fe Independent School District Police Chief Ruben Espinoza, named in the lawsuit along with another officer and the City of Santa Fe, contested the allegations.

He stated that the video did not capture the full context and claimed that Rogers was erratic and non-compliant. Espinoza said that Rogers drove into a bus driveway near where children were being dropped off and posed a danger, prompting him to use his vehicle to stop hers.

He insisted that she was treated with respect and professionalism and that no visible ant pile was present, although Rogers did yell about ants. Espinoza maintained that she was quickly lifted from the ground after mentioning the ants.

Texas Mom Quietly Endured Her Pain to Prevent Upsetting Her Son

The lawsuit disputes this account, alleging disrespectful behavior from the officers and that Rogers endured pain silently to avoid distressing her son, who was watching from the car.

Kallinen calls for disciplinary action against the involved officers. Santa Fe City Manager Alun Thomas declined to comment on the lawsuit but has previously supported the officers.

Rogers also stated that the incident occurred in front of her 9-year-old son, who was in the backseat of her car. Santa Fe ISD Police Chief Ruben Espinoza, one of the two officers named in the lawsuit, disputed Rogers' claims, saying images from the arrest showed no fire ants on the grass.

Espinoza added that the bodycam video shared by Rogers' attorney was misleading and omitted the part where officers helped lift Rogers off the ground after she agreed to calm down. He asserted that Rogers was treated with "respect and dignity" throughout the arrest.

After her arrest, Rogers pleaded guilty to charges related to fleeing from police but maintains that she drove away from Espinoza after he allegedly banged on her car and pointed a gun at her, causing her to panic.