Man accused in food contamination case waived preliminary hearing Tuesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man accused of contaminating food while working in the kitchen of the Hereford House restaurant in Leawood waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday in Johnson County Superior Court.

Jace Hanson, 22, has pleaded not guilty to all 33 charges against him.

He is due back in court on December 6 for a hearing.

Jeff Gedbaw, Hanson’s attorney, said in a statement to KSHB 41 on Tuesday that “any discussion of plea agreements at this time would be premature. We are still thoroughly investigating this matter.”

Hanson is charged with 22 counts of food contamination, one count of restaurant destruction and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

The charges against the child abuse victims are not part of the Hereford House food contamination case.

RELATED | Customers try to support Hereford House as police receive 380 tips about food contamination

Hanson told Leawood police detectives he had rubbed food on his genitals and used other methods to contaminate food at the once-popular restaurant.

The acts alleged in the charges against Hanson occurred between April 1 and April 23.

Dozens of civil lawsuits have been filed against Hereford House by customers who allegedly became seriously ill after eating at the restaurant.

The Leawood Hereford House branch will be closed on August 3.

RELATED | Hereford House to close Leawood branch; last day set for Saturday, August 3

That restaurant had been open for almost 20 years.

The company still operates restaurants in Independence, Shawnee and Zona Rosa.

—

If you have information about a crime, you can contact your local police department directly. However, if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submit the tip online or via the free mobile app at P3Tips.comDepending on the tip you give, Crime Stoppers may offer you a cash reward.

Annual homicide data and statistics for the Kansas City area are available at the KSHB 41 News Murder Trackerwhich was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Police Photo Policy.