What’s next after food tampering alleged at KS restaurant? What previous cases suggest

Prosecutors have charged a 21-year-old Kansas City man with adulterating food at the Hereford House restaurant in Leawood.

Jace Christian Hanson of Kansas City was charged with one felony count of unlawfully adulterating or contaminating food at the restaurant at 5001 Town Center Drive in Leawood.

Prosecutors haven’t detailed how Hanson allegedly contaminated the food. But Melody Webb, a Johnson County District Attorney’s spokesperson, confirmed Thursday that authorities believe some bodily fluid was introduced into the food.

The law he is charged under is K.S.A. 21-5415, which details different types of criminal threats. This is a Level 9 personal felony, according to the charging documents. Under Kansas’ sentencing guidelines, one such felony could result in probation for 12 months.

He was booked into Johnson County jail, where he is currently held on a $100,000 bond. The conditions of his release on bond include no use of illegal drugs or controlled substances and no alcohol or firearms.

Hanson is not allowed to contact victims or witnesses. He’s also “not allowed to work or any place which serves food,” according to court documents.

The alleged crime is said to have occurred between March 26 and April 25.

Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said Thursday that the investigation will “probably lead to additional charges.”

Are the charges brought against Hanson so far normal for this type of crime? Will he face jail time and if so, how much? Here’s what other examples of alleged food tampering suggest.

Poisoning salsa: Lenexa, 2009

Mi Ranchito, a Mexican restaurant with multiple locations in the Kansas City area, dealt with poisoned salsa 15 years ago.

Arnoldo Bazan pleaded guilty March 22, 2011, to a charge of conspiracy to tamper with a consumer product. He hatched a scheme to put poison in salsa served to customers at the restaurant’s Lenexa location.

Bazan said in his plea that he was angry after losing his job in June 2009 at the Mi Ranchito restaurant in Olathe. He believed the owner of the restaurant was responsible for him losing his job and his car being stolen.

Bazan and his wife, Yini De La Torre, who was a waitress at the Lenexa restaurant, planned to get revenge by putting a pesticide into the salsa, according to report by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The report says that De La Torre put a pesticide into the salsa on two occasions.

Twelve patrons of Mi Ranchito suffered instant nausea, abdominal cramps, weakness, sweating and chest discomfort after eating salsa on Aug. 11, 2009. Thirty-six more customers had similar or more severe symptoms after eating salsa on Aug 30, 2009. Some were transported to the hospital.

The poisoned guests ranged from young children to senior citizens. Some of the guests had medical conditions that were aggravated by the poisoning.

Bazan faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. De La Torre was sentenced to more than six years in prison and ordered to pay more than $478,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to the same charge.

Bodily fluids and bleach: New Jersey, 2023

A school custodian in New Jersey was charged with tampering with food products, along with other charges, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office in November 2023.

Giovanni Impellizzeri was accused of tampering with or contaminating food products and utensils in the cafeteria with bleach and personal bodily fluids, including saliva, urine and feces. The food items were then allegedly offered for consumption to school students and staff.

School officials received multiple tips in reference to posts listed on a social media platform, according to a release from the prosecutor’s office.

Some of the tampering Impellizzeri is alleged to have committed include:

• Mixing feces into the taco meat at the school, which he reportedly admitted on the texting app Telegram.

• Using a dish sponge from the teachers’ lounge to wipe urinals and toilets and putting the sponge back in the lounge.

• Rubbing hoagie rolls on his private areas before placing them back into a container.

• Spraying bleach into a container of cucumbers.

Impellizzeri pleaded not guilty in February. If convicted, he could face anywhere between 10 to 20 years behind bars, according to WPVI-TV, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia.

Did you eat contaminated food at Hereford House?

The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office and police are asking customers who fell ill after eating at the restaurant during that period to contact the Leawood police at tips@leawood.org or 913-266-0696.