Man Pleads Guilty of Intentionally Contaminating Food At Kansas Steakhouse

A 21 year old former kitchen employee of a well know Kansas steakhouse has plead guilty of intentionally contaminating food while he worked for the restaurant.  From the new report, "The special agent later provided thumbnails for videos posted to a website from the 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."

The restaurant has closed and faces numerous lawsuits.

https://fox4kc.com/news/man-accused-of-contaminating-food-at-leawood-hereford-house-pleads-guilty/
Man accused of contaminating food at Leawood Hereford House pleads guilty
by: Brian Dulle
Posted: Jul 3, 2025 / 05:37 PM CDT
Updated: Jul 3, 2025 / 06:11 PM CDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former Leawood Hereford House employee pleaded guilty on Thursday in a food contamination case.

Jace Hanson is accused of contaminating food with bodily fluids and is charged with 33 felony counts in Johnson County.

Hanson worked at the now closed Leawood Hereford House in the spring of last year.

According to court documents, on April 25, 2024, information was received from an FBI special agent regarding possible intentional food contamination ongoing at Hereford House, located at 5001 Town Center Drive.

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.

The special agent later provided thumbnails for videos posted to a website from the 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.

When Hanson was questioned, he described instances of urinating in Au Jus sauce, placing his privates on salmon and urinating in pickles, according to court documents. He estimated there have been over 20 instances where he had contaminated food at the restaurant.

The Leawood Hereford House location has since closed, facing dozens of civil lawsuits from customers who say they became ill during that time frame.

A departure hearing for Hanson is scheduled for Aug. 26, 2025 at 1:30 p.m.

According to Kansas District Court, “a departure hearing is a specialized legal proceeding triggered when a judge believes there are substantial and compelling reasons to deviate from the standard Kansas sentencing guidelines. This means the court can impose a sentence that is either more lenient or more severe than what the guidelines would typically dictate.”