The custodial death report issued by the Corpus Christi Police Department for Richard Bendle shows that when officers first encountered him, they called emergency medical services. There was evidence that Bendle may have been under the influence of narcotics. EMS released Bendle at the scene, but he had a fatal health issue a short time later just before being booked into Nueces County Jail.

Suspects who are under the influence of drugs frequently have encounters with the police and end up being transported to a hospital on the way to the local jail.

Police Encounter a Woman Influenced by Drugs

In the case of one woman who was obviously under the influence of drugs and was attempting to enter another person’s home, police struggled with her until EMS could arrive. The woman continued being uncooperative with the medical personnel who arrived on the scene. She was handcuffed to the gurney and transported to a nearby hospital. While en route, she went into cardiac arrest. The woman was admitted to the hospital, where she died the next day.

Various Texas county jails have been in the news in recent years as they have adopted different approaches to addressing the serious issue of drug-addicted inmates. For example, in 2020, Bexar County tested a drug treatment for county jail prisoners that had a price tag of $1,000 per dose. Members of the Joint Opioid Task Force believed the cost would be worth the expense. The medication would block the effects of opioids, preventing users from getting the usual high.

Ultimately, expenses involved with treating drug-addicted prisoners as well as mentally ill prisoners often far exceed county budgets, which sometimes results in preventable custodial deaths.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series.

This website purposes to assist current and former inmates of county jails in Texas. There is never an intention on this site to suggest that persons, organizations, or governmental agencies have engaged in wrongs.

–Guest Contributor