Editor’s note: Hereford House on Wednesday afternoon responded to test results first reported by Leawood Police. The restaurant’s response has been added to the story.
Tests results from a man suspected of contaminating food at Hereford House in Leawood show no risks of infectious diseases to customers, investigators said on Tuesday.
In a press release, Leawood Police said that test results for the suspect, Jace Hanson, 21, came back indicating “no ongoing risk to patrons” for diseases.
Leawood Police consulted with the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment in continuing to investigate the incident and test Hanson, the release said.
“It is good to know that Johnson County health authorities confirmed the defendant had no infectious diseases,” a Hereford House representative stated in an email to the Johnson County Post.
Hanson was charged late last month with one count of criminal threat in Johnson County District Court for intentional food contamination, after he allegedly urinated and rubbed his genitals on food at Hereford House and posted videos of himself doing so online.
Hereford House has said Hanson worked at the restaurant for just 12 days, between April 6 and 23.
His next hearing is set for Thursday, June 6, in Johnson County District Court.
Hundreds of people have reached out to police
Leawood Police say more than 330 people have reached out to investigators since they put out a request for responses from customers who ate at the restaurant during the dates Hanson worked at Hereford House and may have become ill afterwards.
Police say Hanson has admitted there were about 20 instances where he intentionally contaminated food at the restaurant.
Court documents say Hanson told detectives he was meeting male subjects online through apps like Grindr and Sniffy’s who made requests for him to make videos of him contaminating food.
“When asked if he was aware of any food contamination, Hanson stated, ‘I’ll just be straight up, yeah,’” a criminal affidavit filed in support of Hansons’ arrest says. “Hanson added that he’s ‘just been doing stupid (expletive).’”
Investigators continue to ask anyone who ate at the restaurant from March 26 to April 23 and later became ill to visit the City of Leawood’s Hereford House case website, email them at tips@leawood.org or call (913) 266-0696.
Police ask that anyone who has already submitted a report to not re-submit information.
Hereford House working to restore its image
Since the case was reported, Hereford House staff at the Leawood location have been working hard to regain the public’s trust, a representative stated.
“This has been a difficult situation for our customers and all of us connected to the Hereford House Restaurant in Leawood,” they stated. “We are proud of how our staff has continued to provide excellent food and service to our customers.”
On May 9, a statement from Hereford House detailed the process the restaurant took to clean its facility after finding out about Hanson’s alleged actions.
“We immediately destroyed all the food in the kitchen and did a thorough cleaning and sanitizing of the kitchen and surrounding areas,” the restaurant said in a press release. “We also immediately spoke with the health authorities from the state of Kansas responsible for restaurant inspections.”
State health officials told the restaurant management they had taken the correct steps, Hereford House’s statement said.
In a statement to the Johnson County Post, the restaurant thanked its staff and law enforcement for dealing with the case and moving forward.
“We are proud of how our staff has continued to provide excellent food and service to our customer,” they stated.
They added: “We again want to thank the Leawood Police Department for their quick action on the April 25th tip from the FBI that the potential for food tampering at the Hereford House in Leawood was occurring. We will continue to work with law enforcement authorities.”
Go deeper: New details emerge about Hereford House food contamination case
