Richard Bendle Dies After Being in Corpus Christi, Texas Jail

The Corpus Christi Police Department, in Corpus Christi, Texas, reported the death of Richard Bendle. Mr. Bendle was only 44 years old at the time of his death. We provide in this post information obtained from that governmental report, and we do not allege any wrongdoing related to Mr. Bendle’s death.

The report is unfortunately very short, as a result of recent changes to the length of custodial death reports in Texas. They are now comprised of only two pages. The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:

“Unifromed police officers from the Corpus Christi Police Department responded to a call for service on 4/13/2021 at approximately 02:24 pm related to a pedestrian hazard at 1737 S. Staples St. in Corpus Christi, Texas. The decedent was contacted by officers and showed signs of being under the influence of a narcotic substance. Emergency Medical personnel were called to the scene and treated the decedent at the scene. The decedent was released by Emergency Medical personnel after medical evaluation at the scene and transported by police to the city dentention facility. Prior to entering the facility, the decedent began having a medical episode that the officers reported was a believed to be a overdose on narcotics. Officers began emergency medical treatment to include CPR. Emergency Medical was again summoned to the location. The decedent was transported by ambulance to a medical facility where he passed away at approximately 10:33 pm at the hospital. Police were not present at the time of death.”

Out Texas civil rights law firm unfortunately sees a number of cases in which a person ingests drugs and then ultimately dies in custody. Those who arrest and/or incarcerate a person in Texas have a constitutional obligation to provide reasonable medical care and to protect the person from himself or herself and/or others. If they fail to do so, and a person dies as a result, then there may be a cause of action under the United States Constitution brought pursuant to a federal statute. Emergency medical personnel are also obligated to provide care and not be deliberately indifferent to such an arrestee.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.