Fort Worth man accused of drug possession dies in cell at Tarrant County Jail
A Fort Worth man who had been in custody on drug and criminal trespass charges died Friday in the Tarrant County JaIl, authorities said.
Javonte Lakendrick Myers, 28, was pronounced dead in his cell at 4:50 p.m. Friday, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner. A ruling on his death is pending an autopsy.
Officials with the Tarrant County Sheriffs Office said Myers’ death appears to be natural causes after a long history of health issues.
“The inmate was scheduled to be medically evaluated,” according to a statement released by the sheriff’s office on Saturday. “No foul play is suspected.”
The statement placed on the sheriff’s department Facebook page also noted that the Texas Rangers were investigating the case.
The death also will be reviewed by the sheriff’s department internal affairs and officials with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
Myers was in the Tarrant County Jail on charges of possession of controlled substance and criminal trespass, according to officials at the sheriff’s department.
No additional information was released such as when Myers was jailed or what health issues he had.
The jail has seen a string of incidents in recent weeks. An inmate died by suicide in April, an inmate died of COVID-19, and an inmate gave unassisted birth. The jail also lost its state certification for six days in May.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 8:39 AM.
