By Greg Grisolano

ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com

CARTHAGE, Mo. — A coroner’s preliminary report points to a drug overdose in the apparent suicide of a Carthage police sergeant.

Chad Webb, 32, was found dead Thursday morning in a motel room in Butler. Webb was in the investigations division, and represented the Carthage Police Department on the Jasper County Drug Task Force.

Carthage police Chief Greg Dagnan said the department was “still in shock” over the news.

“The difficulty for our department is Sgt. Webb was one of our most determined and ambitious officers,” he said. “It’s the second day and it’s still shocking. He was an outstanding individual and an outstanding policeman. There’s no way I would ever dream he would do anything like that.”

Bates County Coroner Gary Schowengerdt said officers with the Butler Police Department were called to Webb’s room at a Super 8 Motel, 1114 W. Fort Scott St., in Butler, after Webb missed his checkout time on Thursday morning. Officers forced entry about 11:45 a.m. into Webb’s room, finding his body on the floor.

“First indications are that his cause of death was from a self-induced drug toxicity,” Schowengerdt said.

Toxicology reports would not be available for about four weeks, he said.

Dagnan said officers found an apparent suicide note, in which Webb described some personal reasons for his actions.

“All I’m really willing to say is he was having some non-work related personal issues that I think would be the cause,” he said.

Webb, who the motel manager said checked in alone shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday, had working for the Carthage department since 2000.

Dagnan said Webb is survived by a wife and children.

Webb was a former Webb City High School football standout in the mid-1990s and played college football for Pittsburg (Kan.) State University. He was the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year in 1997, and an All-American from 1995 to 1998, according to Dan Wilkes, sports information director for the university.