A Houston-area woman said police held her down in a fire ant pile during an arrest in 2021. The woman, Taylor Rogers, is now suing the city and officers involved in the arrest.
Santa Fe ISD Police — who initiated the arrest in a school parking lot — have refuted the woman’s claims, saying there were no ants. Rogers claims her civil rights were violated and said she suffers from mental illness in the lawsuit.
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The altercation took place in August 2021 after Rogers allegedly tried to make an illegal turn into an elementary school parking lot and drove the wrong way down the road. When school and city police tried to pull her over, Rogers fled — something she pleaded guilty to.
Rogers was eventually stopped by authorities.
Rogers’ attorney, Randall Kallinen, released a clip of body cam footage of the arrest, showing Rogers screaming for help.
“Ants are on my face, ants are getting on my face,” Rogers said in the video.
According to the lawsuit, an officer “twisted [Rogers’] leg with excessive force, hog tied her and buried her face in a pile of fire ants leaving the plaintiff’s face and body in excruciating pain.”
The Santa Fe ISD Police Chief Ruben Espinoza told KHOU in Houston that the snippet the attorney provided is misleading.
“They stop the clip they provided to you when the officer says calm down and we will lift you up,” Espinoza said.
Espinoza gave a still frame of body cam footage to news outlets, saying it shows there were no fire ants when Rogers was being handcuffed.
The city of Santa Fe investigated the incident back in 2021 and found the officers involved had acted “appropriately in the situation.”
As part of the civil suit, Rogers wants the officers to be disciplined and for the city to provide additional de-escalating training.
The city says it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
