Police update customer reporting for Hereford House food contamination
LEAWOOD, Kan. — The Leawood Police Department says as of Thursday, a total of 230 people have contacted detectives in reference to the Hereford House food contamination investigation.
To accommodate the growing number of calls, emails and provide quicker responses, police are asking for future reports be made online here.
UG says donations to National Fire Safety Council will be refunded
Customers who ate at the Leawood Hereford House between the dates of March 26 through April 25 and experienced illness after their meal are being asked to submit their information.
People can still leave their contact information online at tips@leawood.org or by calling (913) 266-0696.
Hereford House customers who have already submitted a report by phone or email do not need to resubmit their information.
Police continue to investigate the recent food contamination by a former employee of the restaurant.
Last week, the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office filed food adulteration charges against 21-year-old Jace Christian Hanson.
According to court documents, on April 25, information was received from an FBI special agent regarding possible intentional food contamination ongoing at Hereford House located at 5001 Town Center Drive.
Olathe student sentenced for bringing gun to school, fighting officer
The tip was about a restaurant employee contaminating food by means such as urinating in food or rubbing food items on his genitals and posting videos online.
Court documents say through the FBI checking IP addresses, they were able to locate an associated phone number that returned to Hanson. The special agent later provided thumbnails for videos posted to a website from username “Vandalizer.” The images depicted a male urinating in food contained in restaurant style bins, pressing food items against his privates and buttocks and using their feet to touch food items.
Leawood police detectives contacted a manager of Hereford House. The head chef was called to the front and provided thumbnail photographs of the videos that had been posted online. He quickly recognized one of the thumbnails to his Au Jus sauce for the restaurant.
When officers asked Hanson if he was aware of any food contamination, Hanson stated, “I’ll just be straight up, yeah.”
He stated he had been in contact with male subjects online that make requests for him to make videos. Hanson stated he meets these people through apps such as Grinder, Sniffy’s and Scruff. They also communicate through SnapChat, according to Hanson.
Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android
Hanson estimated there have been over 20 instances where he had contaminated food at the restaurant.
He stated he had worked for Hereford House for approximately a month. The first occurrence of contamination occurred a week and a half after starting the job, court documents say. He stated at first, it was an act done because he did not enjoy the job. Although he says he had begun to enjoy the job slightly more, the acts continued.
Hanson is expected to be back in June.
