A man who died in Tarrant County Jail custody in April was ruled an accident caused by drug toxicity, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office ruled.
John Barr, 36, died April 19 at John Peter Smith Hospital after he was found unresponsive is his cell.
Barr's death was listed as an accident from fentanyl, methadone and methamphetamine toxicity.
A custodial death report sent to the Texas Attorney General's Office listed Barr's death as a drug overdose and may have been experiencing medical problems.
Laurie Passman, a spokesperson for the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, told KERA News Barr self-reported that he had "substantial amounts of drugs" already in his system when he was booked into the jail and placed on a detoxification protocol under medical supervision.
"The cause and manner of death listed in the autopsy report and custodial death report do not indicate that Mr. Barr obtained or ingested drugs while in the custody of the Tarrant County Jail," Passman said. "Based on the information available, it would be inaccurate to conclude that the presence of these substances resulted from access to drugs while incarcerated."
Jail records show Barr was booked into the jail April 16 over a parole violation. He was arrested in 2022 on a charge of possession of a controlled substance — heroin — of more than four grams and less than 200 grams, according to court records.
All in-custody deaths are investigated and reviewed by Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office jail staff, the TCSO Criminal Investigations Division, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, an outside law enforcement agency, JPS medical staff, the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
The Haltom City Police Department is investigating Barr's death as the outside law enforcement agency.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's Tarrant County Accountability Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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