Man accused of pot possession dies in Mansfield jail

A man found dead in the Mansfield Jail early Monday had been arrested by Fort Worth police Sunday on suspicion of possession of marijuana, authorities reported.

The man was identified as Wendale Webb, 44, of Emory by the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office.

Fort Worth police arrested Webb Sunday during an investigation in the 3500 block of East Lancaster Avenue, said officer Daniel Segura, a police spokesman.

The address is a discount cigarette store, according to Google Maps.

Segura said officers reported that Webb possessed less than 2 ounces of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor. He was in a vehicle in the parking lot of the store, Segura said.

Webb was transferred from the Fort Worth jail to the Mansfield Jail at 9:35 p.m. Sunday and was placed in a holding cell with other inmates, police said in a news release.

Shortly after his transfer, Webb was found unresponsive, Officer Thad Penkala, a Mansfield police spokesman, said. jail personnel performed CPR, which was continued by Mansfield Fire & Rescue when it arrived.

“They never made it out of the jail lot,” Penkala said.

Webb was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m. at the jail in the 1600 block of Heritage Parkway, the medical examiner’s website said.

Asked if foul play was involved, Penkala said, “We are investigating it as a death.”

The medical examiner had not ruled on the cause or manner of the death by Monday night.

Mansfield police were investigating.

Staff writer Domingo Ramirez Jr. contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 8:50 AM with the headline "Man accused of pot possession dies in Mansfield jail."