11-07-2025
Man Pleads Guilty to Food Contamination, After Nearly 380 People Allegedly Became Sick
A man accused of contaminating food at a Kansas City, Missouri restaurant has pleaded guilty to dozens of charges. The charges include 22 counts of criminal threat, criminal damage greater than $25,000, and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child/possession of child pornography.
Jace Hanson, 22, was employed at Hereford House restaurant in Leawood for approximately one month in 2024. The affidavit states that he was then reported by someone to the FBI after allegedly posting videos online. Hanson was accused of spitting in food, caressing food with his feet and genitals, placing food down his pants numerous times, and urinating on food while working in the restaurant's to KCTV, more than 380 people called into the Leawood Police Department to report that they had become ill after eating at the restaurant. This ensued in at least 10 civil lawsuits that were filed by customers who allegedly became sick with gastrointestinal discomfort, some citing serious illnesses, after consuming food at the restaurant.
Hanson initially claimed to investigators that the videos were intended for men he had connected with on social networking apps like Grindr, Sniffy's, SnapChat, and Scruff. The men then allegedly requested clips of him contaminating the food.
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The former restaurant employee originally pleaded not guilty to all counts in September 2024, but recently switched gears, now admitting to over 20 instances of food contamination throughout the time he worked at the restaurant. After Hanson's guilty plea on July 3 of last week, the judge ordered a pre-sentencing investigation to be completed. The next court hearing date is set for Aug 26, 2025.
The eatery has since closed its Leawood and Zona Rosa shopping center locations due to "financial strains" after the legal proceedings were revealed, NPR reports. The steakhouses' locations in the Shawnee and Independence areas of Kansas City have remained Pleads Guilty to Food Contamination, After Nearly 380 People Allegedly Became Sick first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 10, 2025
